PAGE 6A
MONDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2011
CAMPUS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Former solider receives probation for robbery
RACHEL SALYER
editor@kansan.com
A former Fort Leavenworth soldier charged in the June robbery of two University students received probation and will pay restitution to the victims after his sentencing in Douglas County District Court Friday.
Brandon Huggins, 23, pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of misdemeanor theft and received 12 months probation, minus the three days and six hours jail time he had already served. The court also ordered Huggins to pay $30 in restitution to each of the victims.
In the early morning hours of June 23, Huggins and another suspect, 21-year-old Michael Gerald, were arrested minutes after the armed robbery of two students. The two victims were held at gunpoint, told to take off their pants, and then robbed of their wallets, cash and a cell phone on Memorial Drive, west of the Campanile.
Huggins pleaded guilty to misdemeanor theft after the victims could not positively identify him,
Douglas County prosecutors charged both suspects with two cases of aggravated robbery, aggravated intimidation of a witness and conspiracy to commit robbery. Gerald pleaded guilty to two counts of robbery and was sentenced to 49 months in prison in October.
but he admitted to using the victims' stolen cash to purchase ciga rettes.
A bag containing marijuana was originally seized from the suspects, but prosecutors filed no charges in connection with drugs.
As part of Huggins' probation he will not be allowed to leave the state, or greater Kansas City area, for more than 24 hours without the written consent of his probation officer. Huggins must also submit to random drug testing.
Huggins was eventually dismissed from the army following the original charges, but may be able to return with only a misdemeanor charge.
Huggins made no comments during his sentencing, but his attorney, Sarah Swane, said she does not believe her client has particularly good feelings toward the military after he was stripped of his privileges and not allowed to leave base after the charges were made.
Swane also said that the charges have taken a serious toll on Huggins' life, but that he is currently working and hopes to move on after his probation.
Huggins has family in North Carolina. Swane told the judge he may ask for permission to move there during the course of his probation and report in by mail.
Brandon Huggins, 23, returns to Douglas County District Court, Tuesday morning after being charged with aggravated robbery, conspiracy to commit robbery, and aggra vated intimidation of a witness following the mugging of two University students on campus on June 23. Proceedings will continue at a later date.
CHRIS BRONSON/KANSAN
Edited by Josh Kantor
FOODS FROM PAGE 1
safety, as well as the environment, Hennecke said.In recent years, food health and safety issues as well as increasing concerns about protecting the environment have made buying locally made a burgeoning trend, Hennecke said.
"People are wanting to deepen their relationship with where their food comes from," she said. "And they're better understanding that there is a strong correlation between what you eat and what you are."
Depending on local food producers can be a problem for a store; the quantity of food they can make is not always enough to feed a local
population, and not all food items are available through local producers. They might end up with five local hummus producers without having any locally made yogurt, said Hennecke. But the challenges haven't stopped The Merc from highlighting local products.
"We purchased over $1 million in local products last year," Hennecke said. "That's money going directly into the hands of local producers. There's a lot of economic benefit and traceability."
Nolan Kappelman, vice-president of KU Student Farm, agrees that local food production plays an important role in local economies. KU Student Farms works to educate students, staff, faculty and community members about growing their own food and the importance role local food plays in the community.
Kappelman said for every dollar you spend on local products, $2.50 gets pumped back into the local economy. But local producers effect their communities in another, more profound way.
"It's just the value of food in our society is lost," Kappelman said. "We don't really understand the true value of food and how much work goes into making food. And that's something that local food opens people up to — the actual value of food."
Edited by Mandy Matney
REGIONAL
Four killed in crash of small plane in Colorado
SILVERTON, Colo. — All four people aboard a small plane were killed when it crashed in the southwest Colorado mountains, authorities said Sunday.
The single-engine plane was flying from Durango to Aspen when it crashed Saturday afternoon. Local officials say the crash site was about 1½ miles north of Silverton.
None of the victims' names have been released, and the cause of the crash was unknown. The National Transportation Safety Board will investigate.
The Socata TB-21 left Durango at
about 1:30 p.m. Saturday. About 40 minutes later its emergency beacon signal was detected near Silverton, The Denver Post reported.
Bad weather cut short the search on Saturday. Temperatures in Silverton dipped to 4 degrees between Saturday night and Sunday morning, and 8 to 10 inches of snow had fallen at the scene after the crash, San Juan County Emergency Manager Kristina Maxfield said.
The plane crashed in a rugged, heavily forested area up to 11,000 feet above sea level, Maxfield told The Associated Press.
Maxfield said a search team reached the crash site Sunday and found two
bodies, which were being carried to waiting vehicles. She and Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Mike Fergus both confirmed to the AP that there were no survivors.
Neither elaborated on how they knew the other two people were dead, but Fergus said the debris field covered 1/4 miles.
It was unclear how long the search for the other victims would continue Sunday because snowfall had resumed and visibility was worsening, Maxfield said.
Associated Press
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