Ross A. Williams, 39, Claremore, Okla., has been charged with a Feb. 17, 2007, bank robbery in Coffeyville in which a man was killed, Acting U.S. Attorney Marietta Parker said late Thursday.

A three-count federal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Wichita on Thursday accuses Williams of firing the shot that killed Willie Neal, Jr., of Georgia. Williams is charged with one count of bank robbery, one count of killing Neal while attempting to escape arrest for the bank robbery, and one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of his attempt to escape arrest.

According to court documents, at about 4:55 p.m. Feb. 17 Williams entered the Bank of America at 1401 W. Eighth Street in Coffeyville. Brandishing a knife, he demanded money. He took money from a teller and left the bank riding a bicycle. A witness who followed him saw Williams put the bike in the back of an SUV and drive away.

Starting in the 1200 block of West 10th Street, Williams led police on a high speed chase that ended when his vehicle struck a tree. As Williams abandoned the car carrying an assault rifle, he fired multiple shots at police and they returned fire. He fled into a wooded area.

None of the officers was injured during the exchange of gunfire, but a bystander identified as Willie Neal, Jr., was shot in the upper thigh
and died from the wounds. An autopsy recovered a bullet that ballistics examiners identified as consistent with the type of ammunition fired from an assault rifle.

About three and a half hours later, police found
Williams crossing an open field and took him into custody without further incident. He was wearing body armor and carrying a pistol when he was arrested.

Upon conviction, the crimes carry the following
penalties:

• Bank robbery: A maximum penalty of 20 years and a fine up to $250,000.

• Causing a death while attempting to avoid arrest for a bank robbery:

A maximum penalty of death or life in prison and a fine up to $250,000.

The United States Attorney General’s Review Committee on Capital Cases will be responsible for reviewing the case and making a recommendation to United States Attorney General Eric Holder on whether to seek the death penalty.

• Using a firearm in furtherance of avoiding arrest for a bank robbery:

A maximum penalty of 10 years and a fine up to $250,000.

As in any criminal case, a person is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. The indictments filed merely contain allegations of criminal conduct.

INDEPENDENCE — The Montgomery County Conservation District is hosting its 62nd Annual Dinner and Awards Meeting beginning at 6 p.m., Saturday Feb. 21, at the First United Methodist Church Wesley Center at 200 S. Penn, Independence.

Jay M. Price, a professor at Wichita State University, will be the guest speaker.

There is no fee to attend this event but due to limited space, reservations are required. Contact David Stephen, Conservation District Manager, at 620-331-4860 extension 35, for reservation information.

The dinner will be provided courtesy of the Kansas Agriculture Bankers Association. A short business meeting will be held regarding the district’s business in 2008 and award presentations will be made to those in Montgomery County who have made an effort to make soil and water conservation a top priority in their operations.

Preparations have been made to accept donations toward the district’s educational programs, as well as donations to the Clyde Clubine Memorial fund. These donations support the efforts of the district to bring conservation and agriculture related programs and contests to local schools. The district has established a college scholarship for area high school students and all donations to the Clyde Clubine Memorial fund will go to support that.

Price directs the Public History Program at Wichita State University, where he is an assistant professor of history. In addition to public history courses, he teaches classes on popular culture, social history, religion in America, and the 20th century West.

A native of Santa Fe, New Mexico, he received his doctorate from Arizona State University in the fields of public history and American history. Price is interested in how communities remember their past, both officially in the form of monuments, and unofficially through their everyday buildings, signs, and sites. Now, as a member of the Kansas Humanities Council Speakers Bureau since 2000, he is helping Kansans to discover the hidden history lessons that they encounter every day.

BY ANDY TAYLOR
Montgomery County Chronicle

CHERRYVALE — Six days after Cherryvale’s lone storm siren was sounded to alert of an approaching tornadic storm, city officials discussed the city’s storm response.

City councilors on Tuesday discussed the city’s storm response following the severe thunderstorm that spawned the potential for a tornado on Feb. 10.

City administrator Trey Cocking was serving as a volunteer dispatcher at the Cherryvale Fire-EMS Department when the siren was sounded. He said he was alarmed by the volume of telephone calls made by citizens to the fire-EMS department when the tornado began to wail.

He said people wanted to know more details about the storm, which, he said, was largely unavailable at that time.
Cocking said the National Weather Service in Wichita had not issued a tornado warning for Cherryvale. Instead, the fire-EMS department and police department were alerted by storm spotters of a threat of tornadic conditions stretching from Bolton to Coffeyville and moving toward Cherryvale.

“People were asking me which way the storm was moving, and the only thing I could tell them was to take cover,” he said.

Among the biggest concerns expressed at Tuesday’s meeting was the apparent ineffectiveness of the city’s storm siren to alert the entire community. The siren, which sits atop the Cherryvale City Hall, was inaudible in the western part of the community. Even councilor Randy Wagoner, whose home is three blocks away north of the siren, said he could not hear the siren from within his house.

Discussion about the storm siren came on the same night when councilors approved the city’s portion of the Montgomery County Mitigation Plan, which was developed following the 2007 summer floods. The plan was approved by state and federal officials two weeks ago.

The plan calls for the City of Cherryvale to enhance its storm siren capabilities to include more sirens in other areas of the community.

Wagoner said another alternative was to develop a telephone calling system, similar to an automated dial system used by USD 447 to inform parents and students of school closures or other information.

However, councilor Jerry Wallace said the automated telephone system would have drawbacks, such as persons who use cellular phones or change telephone numbers.

“The telephone system might be a good system, but I wouldn’t want to put my eggs in that basket,” said Wallace.

Councilor Chad Wickham said the council should study having more sirens while also exploring the possibility of an automated telephone alert system.

Former city councilor Ben Bellmore, who was present at Tuesday’s meeting, urged councilors to obtain funding for more storm sirens.

“The current siren is only about 50 percent effective,” he said. “Do your best to get a couple of more sirens up. We owe it to the citizens.”

CANEY — A fan favorite in the NASACR circuit will be making an appearance at the Caney Valley Speedway on Friday, March 13.

Kenny Wallace, best known among NASCAR fans as the Hermanator, will be at the speedway as part of the USMTS National Tour. Wallace will be making 13 apperances on the USMTS National Tour in 2009 with Caney being his first stop. He’ll appear at the Humbold Speedway in Humboldt, Kan., the following night.

“This is a big deal to have a pofessional racer come to Caney,” said Kerry Gorby, Caney Valley Speedway manager and promoter. “To the best of my knowledge, a professional racer has never come to Caney to compete. So, this is good for the speedway and for the community.”

Wallace won the first race he ever entered in 1982, and the youngest member of the racing Wallace family, was a longtime mechanic and crew member for his brothers Rusty and Mike. Kenny’s win in that race — the Illinois Street Stock State Championship — would be the first of many in his racing career.
He would enter the NASCAR world in 1988 and was crowned Rookie fo the year in 1989, where he finished in sixth place in driver point standings.

Wallace’s Busch Series accomplishments include nine wins, 10 poles, and eight seasons in the top-10 in driver points. In fact, Wallace has finished in the top-10 in every full Busch Series season he has ever run, including a second-place run in 1991 that ended just 74 points shy of the championship in what is still one of the closest points battles in series history.

Wallace drove the #78 Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series in 2007, and was voted by fans to compete in the NASCAR Nextel All-Star Challenge at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in May.

More details about Wallace’s visit to Caney will be posted at the Caney Valley Speedway website at www.caneyvalleyspeedway.net.

e Feb. 19 edition of the Montgomery County Chronicle is now available at local newsstands. Be sure to buy a copy. Here are a few things you’ll find in that issue . . .

• The Montgomery County Conservation District will hold its annual awards banquet on Saturday evening in Independence. Among the honorees at this year’s banquet are Eric and Jackie Chandler of rural Sycamore, Carol Knisley of rural Cherryvale, Robert and Elaine Cowan of rural Dearing, and Harold and Charlene Swearingen of rural Independence. This edition of the Chronicle salutes those honorees as well as the work of the Montgomery County Conservation District and the Natural Resource Conservation Service. You’ll see four pages of information about the conservation district in the B section of the Feb. 19 issue.

• A Claremore, Okla., man will be charged with bank robbery and possibly murder following a bank robbery and shootout with Coffeyville police on Tuesday. Ross Williams is in custody following the bank robbery at the Bank of America branch at Eighth and Buckeye streets. William fled the scene and was followed by police to a remote area north of Coffeyville, where he fired a semi-automatic rifle at the police. One of the bullets strayed from Williams’ rifle and killed a bystander, Willie Neal, a Georgia man who had just moved to Coffeyville. We’ll have details on page A1.

• Cherryvale city councilors on Tuesday discussed the effectiveness of the city’s lone storm siren, which sounded an alarm during a severe thunderstorm on Feb. 10. One problem though: half the town didn’t hear it. Councilors are discussing ways to improve the storm siren alert system. Look for this story on page A1.

• The City of Caney will soon build a new fire station, thanks to a $299,000 state grant. The station will be built at Third and Spring streets. The Kan-Step grant program will provide state funds to purchase construction materials provided that volunteer and in-kind labor will be used to erect the building. Look for this story on page A1.

• Kenny Wallace, also known as the Hermanator in the NASCAR circuit, will be making a visit to the Caney Valley Speedway in March. We’ve got a story on page A1 about Wallace’s visit and competition at the Caney race track.

• High school basketball is drawing to a close, but it’s turning up some excitement. The Caney Valley Lady Bullpups have won seven straight games and sit alone in second place in the Tri-Valley League. Meanwhile, the Cherryvale High School women’s basketball team, which was picked to win the Tri-Valley League, has sputtered in recent games, falling in defeat three consective times. The Cherryvale High School men’s team has won three straight games and is preparing for Friday’s big clash with Caney Valley.

• The Montgomery County 4-H Days, held last Saturday, displayed the talents of dozens of county 4-H youths. We’ve got complete results on page A10.

• Be sure to look for information in this edition from the Caney Valley and Cherryvale FFA Chapters as they celebrate National FFA Week. Each chapter will have several activities — including work day sales — to benefit their local chapters.

• And, we’ve got Doris Coats’ recipe column in this edition. Look for her tasty recipe for Chocolate Snack Cake. Making your mouth water yet?

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If you do not presently subscribe to the Montgomery County Chronicle, give me a call (620) 879-2156 or (620) 336-2100 to place your subscription order. The local subscription rate (with sales tax) is $32.40 per year. Sounds like a a great deal . . . one that is easy on your wallet during tough times.

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As always, I’m interested to know about your news tips and story ideas. Drop me a line by e-mail (check for my address below) or call me on my cell phone at (620) 331-9178. Let’s chat! And, if you wish, pass this e-mail along to your e-mail lists (school secretaries: pass this along to your faculty e-mail lists). Let me know of others who might be interested in receiving a weekly preview of the Montgomery County Chronicle.

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The Feb. 19 edition has more stories of interest to all Montgomery County residents. Be sure to pick up a copy today at the following locations:

Caney: Floyds Town and Country, Gunny Sack Phillips 66, Gunny Sack Shell, Casey’s General Store and the Montgomery County Chronicle.

Cherryvale: Jump Start, Casey’s General Store, Friendly’s Food and Fuel, G&W Foods, Cherryvale Pharmacy, Cherry Hill Express, and the Montgomery County Chronicle

Tyro: J’s Corner Store

Independence: Daylight Doughnuts

Coffeyville: Kabredlo’s Convenience Store