In Manslaughter Trial
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75¢ COLBY Friday April 25, 2014 Volume 125, Number 66 Serving Thomas County since 1888 10 pages FFREEREE PPRESSRESS ‘Not guilty’ in manslaughter trial By Sam Dieter ment officers that night, House had said They did not arrest him until several House was the last of over a dozen wit- Dodge to charge it shortly before they all Colby Free Press Gallentine was running into the street and months later, charging him with involun- nesses in his trial, which started Monday, got ready to leave about 10 p.m. [email protected] may have tripped. tary manslaughter, driving under the in- including Hunter House, law enforce- “He was almost out of the way and it He told County Attorney Kevin Berens, fluence and endangering a child, although ment officers and medical workers. Each just seemed like he just tripped,” Hunter A Brewster man was acquitted by a who prosecuted the case, that he might the state only prosecuted the first two of the witnesses who had been with the House testified the first day of the trial. jury of involuntary manslaughter Thurs- have written that because he heard his son charges. victim and defendant that night said they He was apparently the only person who day afternoon in a tragic accident more Hunter tell him to watch out right before Shortly before the jury returned its ver- were getting along. Their statements saw Gallentine just before the truck ran than two years ago when he ran over a he felt a bump. dict, House’s defense attorney, Jeffery each seemed to match as they described him over as the father and son were head- longtime friend after several hours of In fact, House said, that he never admit- Mason, reminded the jurors to take into the accident, which happened after sev- ed home after dinner and beers. Hunter drinking. ted that night that he might have hit Gal- account whether Gallentine had a hand in eral hours of drinking at Chelle’s Bar and House said he told his dad to watch out James House testified that he did not lentine, who had been his friend for 27 his own death. He pointed out that both Grill in Brewster. but it was too late. When he looked out see Val Gallentine before running the man years. Over the next several days, officers men were drunk. Mason actually asked No one was sure why Gallentine might of the truck, he said, he saw Gallentine over with his Dodge Ram pickup truck testified, they got conflicting statements the jurors to find his client guilty of driv- have been running in front House’s truck under one of the tires. the night of March 10, 2012. He took the from House learning that the friends had ing under the influence, which they did. when he left Chelle’s. Hunter House said After backing up and parking again, stand Thursday in his own defense. In a been drinking, and that Hunter had been After court was adjourned, Mason said he he thought Gallentine wanted his cell written statement he gave law enforce- with him in the car. would not comment further on the case. phone back. He had put it in House’s See “NOT GUILTY,” Page 2 School board to raise budget By Sam Dieter coming from the state because of Colby Free Press the way funding for students is [email protected] weighted, said district Business Manager Jo DeYoung. The district The Colby School Board voted saw an unexpected jump in en- Monday to republish a higher rollment when 996 students were version of the annual budget the counted in September 2012, and board approved last summer be- with fewer students last fall, DeY- cause of an unexpected change in oung used that enrollment level. how money for the district’s stu- However, she said, when the dents is weighted. “weightings” for the some stu- The district will publish a dents were added up, the district $6,374,534 budget in the Colby found itself with more money to Free Press, then hold a public spend than expected. Weightings hearing at the start of its next allow more money students on meeting at 7 p.m. Monday, May whom the district spends more, 19. Last summer, the board passed based on things like the number a $6,363,020 budget for the 2013- of hours bilingual students take 14 fiscal year, based on its enroll- in school, or the number of ap- ment at the start of the previous plications for free or reduce-price year. The district has extra money See “BUDGET,” Page 2 Olympics here on Saturday The annual spring track and Angels will compete, along with Spring blooms out all over field events for Special Olympics teams from WaKeeney, Great Kansas are set for Saturday in Bend, Ulysses, Garden City, SHARON FRIEDLANDER and SAM DIETER/Colby Free Press Colby. Dodge City, and two teams from Spring has been blooming in force for the last week all around Colby. Eight Special Olympics teams Hays. The opening ceremonies Flowers sprouting from several species of trees at the Pioneer Memo- will compete at Dennen Field at will be at 10:30 a.m., the field rial Library, (above) behind the U.S. and state flags that Gov. Sam the spring games for the West Re- events will start at 11 a.m. and the Brownback ordered flown at half mast to honor Donald Dahl, a for- gion of Special Olympics Kansas. track events will be at 1 p.m. mer state representative whose ultra-light plane hit a tree and crashed Twelve athletes from the Colby near Hillsboro last Friday. Storm clouds darkened the sky in sharp contrast to these trees at the other side of the library (left) on Easter Sunday, bringing several tornadoes to northwest Kansas, including two that were visible from the Meadow Lake golf course. Flowering trees of several varieties are blooming in every color, including dark Teachers mull pink (below), white (left) and everything in between (bottom). tenure lawsuit TOPEKA (AP) – Kansas Na- legislative and political advocacy. tional Education Association offi- Brownback signed the bill, cials said Thursday that the state’s which increases school district largest teachers union might con- funding by $129 million to satisfy sider a lawsuit to determine if the a March 7 state Supreme Court state can take away tenure rights ruling in a lawsuit filed by school of teachers. districts and parents in 2010. The At issue is a provision in a Republican governor said the ten- school funding measure signed ure provision gives local districts Monday by Gov. Sam Brown- room to negotiate and ends state- back. While increasing funding wide mandate for how the issue is for public education, the measure handled. also reduces the due process rights Kansas first enacted tenure laws of teachers if they are fired by a in 1957, giving teachers who have school district. worked in a district for three years KNEA officials told the the right to administrative process Lawrence Journal-World (bit. before they can be fired or denied ly/1il5jzk ) that the only recourse contract renewal by a district. might be to challenge the new law Senate Vice President Jeff King in court once a tenured teacher is said he’s not surprised about po- fired. The KNEA considers the tential legal challenges. But he tenure process a right that teach- said he believes the state funding ers have earned after working for measure is legally justified. at least three years in a district. King, an Independence Republi- “We are looking at challenges can, cited a 1980 Kansas Supreme on a variety of levels, and that is Court ruling in which the justices one of them: whether the Legis- said tenure had a negative impact lature can, by fiat, take away an on student outcomes, suggesting earned property right,” said Mark that school districts were reluctant Disetti, the KNEA’s director of to begin the termination process because of the time involved in removing an ineffective teacher. See “TENURE,” Page 2 Page 2 Colby Free Press Friday, April 25, 2014 Area/State Weather ‘Not guilty’ in manslaughter trial Briefly From “NOT GUILTY,” Page 1 not start investigating the incident as a but still no indication his friend might The deadline for Briefly is noon the day before. Items car accident until they got to the hos- have been run over. Medlicott said he submitted in the morning will be set up for the following Hunter House said, his father sent pital. Cersovsky, who had to drive the went back to the scene on March 13 to day, space available. The deadline for Monday’s paper him home, about two blocks away, to ambulance while the technicians tried finish up his investigation. is noon Friday. get blankets for his friend because it to resuscitate the victim, said he spoke Accounts of how many beers the was cold that night. Robert Lehman to House three times before getting men drank range from five or six to Concert tonight at High School was the last of maybe eight friends any indication he might have hit the eight or 10, and when their blood was The Browns will do a missions fund-raising concert at still inside with Michelle Jorgensen- victim. That’s when he got the written taken at the hospital, both men were 7:30 p.m. tonight at the Colby High School Auditorium. Swanson, the owner of Chelle’s. They report Berens cross examined House found to have lots of alcohol. House Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door.