Man Pleads Guilty to Murder Charge by Sam Dieter the State Presented the Evidence and Sharon Friedlander in the Case
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75¢ COLBY Wednesday July 2, 2014 Volume 125, Number 103 Serving Thomas County since 1888 10 pages FFREEREE PPRESSRESS Man pleads guilty to murder charge By Sam Dieter The state presented the evidence and Sharon Friedlander in the case. Shank and Morris had Colby Free Press a relationship and had a child, Ad- dilyn Morris, born in May 2012 in A man who killed his ex-girl Garden City. Teri Morris broke up friend over a year ago avoided a with Shank and moved to Colby. “hard” 50-year prison sentence She moved in with Russell Roden- when he pleaded guilty to first beck, another emergency medical degree premeditated murder this technician, at the end of that year. morning. Shank was arrested for domes- William Andrew Shank, who tic battery in an incident on Feb. had initially pleaded not guilty 2, 2013, in Hays, a week before in the case, agreed to waive his he killed his ex-girlfriend at the right to a trial. He pleaded guilty house where she lived here. to murder and two other charges – Sometime after Rodenbeck left aggravated arson and aggravated for work at 6 a.m. on Feb. 9, 2013, burglary – in the case in which he it is believed Shank broke into the killed his ex-girlfriend Teri Morris house, killed her and set the build- and ran off with their child. ing on fire before leaving with the State prosecutor Nicole Romine child. agreed not to ask for a hard-50 The house was seen burning SAM DIETER/Colby Free Press sentence for Shank, instead rec- at around 7:15 a.m.; Rodenbeck, Bruce Frahm, (above) a member of the Trojan Amateur Radio Club, talked with fellow member ommending a sentence of life in had left to start his shift as a medi- Brooks Wederski Saturday, during a national field day for ham radio operators. Mike Albers prison with the possibility of pa- cal technician before 6 a.m., and took down the cables attached to his club’s ham radio antenna (below left) Sunday afternoon role after 25 years. pointed out that Morris should at the Colby airport after the American Radio Relay League Field Day. Wederski tried to talk “This is a really difficult deci- have been gone. A group of law to other clubs (below) inside the airport; the club’s six members managed to contact 1,329 sion for Bill,” Shank’s attorney enforcement officers and firefight- other operators in less than a day. Jerry Fairbanks said after the ers went to the house, where Mor- hearing. “It’s really hard no matter ris’ body was found inside. William Shank what you might think for him to It was later found she had been come in here and say this.” stabbed to death, and the house with his own. Club calls 1,000+ Just three people sat behind him had been set on fire intentionally. There will now be a pre-sen- in Thomas County District Court Evidence found on Shank’s com- tencing investigation. As soon as By Sam Dieter this morning, while almost 20 puter showed he had researched the investigation is completed a Colby Free Press were seated behind the prosecu- how to pick a lock and how to sentencing hearing will be held. A [email protected] tor, including Teri Morris’ family, break into a residence. Shank was tentative date for that hearing was Teri’s boyfriend Russell Roden- found that afternoon in Logan set for Wednesday, Sept. 10. It A half a dozen ham radio enthusiasts con- beck and members of his fam- with their daughter. He had cut was stated that if the investigation verged at Shalz Field over the weekend, set- ily and people who worked with marks on his body, and Morris’ is completed sooner the sentenc- ting up a radio station at the airport in much the Morris at Thomas County Emer- blood was found on his person, ing hearing could be moved up. same way they would after a natural disaster. gency Medical Services. his clothing and his vehicle along The six radio operators with Colby’s Trojan Amateur Radio Club met at the airport over the weekend to try to call as many other operators as they could during the American Radio Relay Architect says county League Field Day. Two and a half hours into the field day, they were talking to people in California and Pennsylvania, and had already spoken with 12 other operators as far away as Europe and Yugoslavia. By the next day, they can buy his contract had contacted well over a thousand. Several of them apparently stayed the night, By Heather Alwin if the commissioners agreed to the entire contract, dining on fast food and chatting with family Colby Free Press and then proposed his own contract with a fee of 6.5 members who came to visit. Ham radio opera- [email protected] percent. tors call each other as a hobby, but can also use Commissioner Mike Baughn said he remembered their skills to communicate during a natural di- The county will work with a new architect on its the other firm pitching a feasibility study that would saster like a tornado. judicial complex project after local architect Glen cost less than $5,000, at the commissioners’ request. Mike Albers, one of the operators who is also Strait agreed to let the county buy him out of his ex- Strait said the commissioners approved his con- isting contract. tract at their Feb. 11, 2013, meeting, after which he See “CLUB,” Page 2 Strait spoke to the commissioners at their Monday immediately ordered current requirements for build- meeting in front of a crowd of observers, many from ing jails. He brought the stack of books to show the the planning group that previously recommended the commissioners at their Monday meeting. commissioners terminate Strait’s contract. Strait said he also researched jail construction by “I called Byron and Paul and Mike,” he said, re- traveling to Scott City for a tour of their jail, using ferring to private discussions he had with each com- that facility as a basis for the jail design he created missioner mid-June, “and indicated to them that I for Thomas County. wanted out. No person needs to be in this kind of He said he reviewed some of his plan’s elements situation and it’s an uncomfortable one for me, I with the staff involved and made requested revi- guarantee you.” sions, skipping what he called “the programming Strait gave a summary of how the “situation” phase” since he felt he already knew enough about came about. Another architectural firm came out and what was needed. made a presentation to the commissioners in January “When we presented the plans as they had been 2013, and he said he got a phone call from Commis- developed, there had been quite a backlash from the sioner Paul Steele after that meeting. Steele asked community, as we all know, regarding the status of Strait if he had experience in detention facilities. this building,” he said, referring to the courthouse. Strait told him he had worked with another firm on Strait said “the jury’s still out” on what will be a unit in Norton. necessary to structurally stabilize the building and Strait said he had received a copy of the other firm’s proposal, which included a fee of 8.5 percent See “CONTRACT,” Page 2 Farm-to-Fork ideas expand food markets By Heather Alwin The summit was part of the cen- Kristen Schmidt, nutrition direc- Colby Free Press ter’s Community Food Solutions tor for the Northwest Area Agen- [email protected] Initiative which seeks to improve cy on Aging; Colby vegetable local access to healthy foods. The farmer Duane Cheney of Sharing Sheriff’s website up Food enthusiasts gathered in center is currently working on a the Bounty; Jessica Mews, Raw- Colby last Wednesday for a day of comprehensive study of which lins County Economic Develop- County law enforcement and jail information is Finley. education and discussions of chal- Kansas policies help or harm such ment; JoEllyn Argabright, Rawl- now available on the sheriff’s department’s new Teri Cloe, administrative assistant for the depart- lenges and opportunities for local access. ins County Extension agent; Tom website, www.thomascountysheriffsoffice.com. ment, said the website leads directly to fewer dollars food production. Keynote speaker Chris Sramek Trail of Williams Brothers Super- Anyone can now see the inmates held by the de- spent on ink to print out pages that are now available The Farm-to-Fork Summit, of Atwood described the opera- market; and Mary Fund from the partment, read the most recent blotter entries, view online. Additionally, the department fields fewer put on by the Kansas Rural Cen- tions of the High Plains Food Co- Kansas Rural Center. The diverse the intake report and get answers to many commonly calls since many questions can now be answered by ter, welcomed farmers, extension op, an organization that helps area group offered their thoughts on asked questions. the site. agents, producers, economic de- producers get their food products The website, which launched this spring, is saving The community response so far has been largely velopment officers, health depart- to markets on the Front Range. See “FOOD,” Page 2 the department money and time, all while providing favorable, Cloe said. ments, farmers market coordina- Sramek said economic develop- more convenience for the community. Attorneys and The site, created by S&T, is funded by drug for- tors, community garden organiz- ment policies are important fac- other members of the community had been asking feiture money.