TEG
THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 2016
V V V
PULITZER PRIZE-WINNING
FAMILY OWNED SINCE 1895
V V V
LOCAL DENTIST
DIES IN TRAGIC
ACCIDENT
See related story, PAGE 9.
VVV
You will be missed,
Dr. Bennett.
WWW.EMPORIAGAZETTE.COM
CATHRYNE SCHARTON/GAZETTE
Kemp gives his final statement
to Judge Larson on Wednesday.
Kemp was sentenced to over
100 years in prison.
KEMP
SENTENCED
TO OVER 100
YEARS IN
PRISON
Brenton Bennett
dies following
motorcycle
accident
said she left her vehicle in an attempt to aid the driver of the motorcycle.
“(The SUV) came to a complete
stop ... and she pulled out in front
of (the motorcycle) who t-boned
her on her driver’s side,” Farrell
said. “I just kind of ran over there
to check his vitals and see what I
could do to help until the ambulance got here.”
By Jessie Wagoner
Bennett was a part of the [email protected]
nett Dental Group, which he operated with his father, Richard BenLocal dentist Brenton Ben- nett. Emporia State University
nett, 52, has died from injuries and the Emporia Friends of the
sustained in an accident shortly Zoo were benefactors of Bennett’s
after 1 p.m. on Wednesday. The years of support.
accident occurred at the intersecCountless condolence mestion of W. Ninth
sages to the BenAve. and Chestnut
nett family have
“You
saw
the
Street.
appeared on social
The Emporia
Patients,
beauty in everyone. media.
Police Departfriends and comment says that
munity members
You touched lives, have
Jenny Baysinger,
shared their
38, of Madison
fond
memories
of
Dr. Bennett, and
was driving a
the beloved denPontiac SUV-type
tist.
will forever be
vehicle north on
“You saw the
Chestnut Street
beauty
in everyremembered in all one,” Samantha
and Bennett was
driving a HarleyMears posted on
that you did.”
Davidson motorthe Bennett Dencycle eastbound.
tal Group FaceSAMANTHA MEARS
The motorcycle
book page. “You
struck the driver
touched lives, Dr.
side door of the
Bennett, and will
Pontiac. Traffic on
forever be rememChestnut Street is
bered in all that
controlled by a stop sign at that you did.”
intersection.
“I have known Brenton since I
Bennett was transported by was a little girl,” Jill Romine postambulance to Newman Regional ed. “Our family has trusted the
Health with apparent injuries to his Bennett’s with our dental health
head and arm. The accident remains for many, many years. We will
under investigation by the Emporia miss you Brenton, our prayers go
Police Department. Announcement out for your family.”
of any charges are pending the reFuneral details will be ansults of the investigation.
nounced when they are available.
Melinda Farrell witnessed the
—Reporter John Robinson concollision and, being CPR certified, tributed to this report.
Good Evening
By Cathryne Scharton
[email protected]
Wednesday morning, Herschel Kemp was sentenced to
over 100 years for multiple
counts of sex crimes against a
10-year-old girl.
The charges included aggravated indecent solicitation of a
child, aggravated criminal sodomy, aggravated indecent liberties, promoting obscenity to a
minor, sexual exploitation of a
child and rape.
Kemp received four consecutive life terms. Four of the charges follow Jessica’s Law cases.
The defense requested a retrial after Kemp presented emails
following the trial from the victim’s mother. Judge Jeffry Larson dismissed the evidence on
the grounds the information in
the email was not new.
In his final statement to the
judge, Kemp stated the accusations were false and driven by
his ex-wife’s scorn following his
infidelity. Witness testimonies
indicated the molestation took
place over a three-year period
before Kemp was arrested in late
2014.
CHRIS WALKER/GAZETTE
A memorial for Brenton Bennett has been placed at the intersection
of Ninth Avenue and Chestnut Street.
LOCAL VETERANS ATTEND HONOR FLIGHT
By Regina Murphy
Yexinia Hernandez
COMMISSIONERS
DISCUSS
MUTUAL AID
By John Robinson
[email protected]
and
The Emporia Gazette
Southern Coffey County High
School is holding the annual Honor
Flight on today and Friday. Seven
Emporia veterans plus one from
Americus are part of the 24 attendees who left early today for Baltimore.
SCCHS has been doing honor
flights for six years; students and
faculty work all year to raise the
funds. So that each veteran attends
the honor flight for free.
JAN BUCKMAN/SPECIAL TO THE GAZETTE
John Sanderson of Emporia
served in the U.S. Army from 1960 John Sanderson, Don Blaylock, Raymond Garrison, Francis Duncan, Charles Ristau, Loren Pennington,
to 1991, retiring at the rank of colo- Bennett Anderson and Glen Bazil were ready to board the bus for the Honor Flight this morning.
nel is one of the veterans attending
the Honor Flight this year.
“I’m honored by it I things its a
marvel that it s being sponsored by
a high school and the students will
be with us there,” Sanderson said.
“We’ll just be a cross pollination of
several generations.”
He has been to the capitol in the
past. As a family, the Sandersons
took their children to the museums
and zoo. He has also been to visit
friends and has seen the Vietnam
War Memorial and the Korean War
Memorial, along with the Lincoln
Memorial and a trip to Arlington
Please see Veterans, Page 3
JAN BUCKMAN/SPECIAL TO THE GAZETTE
VOL. 124, NO. 245
Patriot Guards escorted the Honor Flight bus from Emporia to BETO Junction to join more veterans.
The Patriot Guards continued their escort to the Kansas City airport.
Cooperation was the word of
the day as the city and county
commissions gathered together
for a working lunch on Wednesday.
“Most of (our discussion
points) dealt with cooperation
between the city and the county,”
said Danny Giefer, mayor of Emporia. Giefer said the opportunity to collaborate