Tag Archive for ‘first degree’ at On the Beat in the Bluegrass

Tag Archive for 'first degree'

Police: Woman exposed unborn son to drugs

Published

H-L Justice Team

on October 23, 2008

in Madison County

. 5 Comments

By Ashlee Clark
aclark@herald-leader.com

RICHMOND — A Richmond woman was arrested Tuesday for exposing her unborn son to cocaine and marijuana.

Vickie S. Cornett, 35, was arrested Tuesday and charged with first-degree wanton endangerment.

Cornett was arrested more than a week after Richmond police began to investigate her.

On Oct. 14, Madison County Social Services informed investigators that Cornett had given birth on Sept. 16 to a boy who exhibited symptoms of drug withdrawal, police say.

Tests performed after the boy was born at Pattie A. Clay Hospital in Richmond revealed cocaine and marijuana in his system.

Cornett is being held in the Madison County jail on a $7,500 cash bond.

Ashlee Clark covers Madison County for the Herald-Leader. Reach her at (859) 626-5878.

Woman charged with arson after house fire

Published

H-L Justice Team

on September 25, 2008

in Police

. 0 Comments

The Associated Press

LOUISVILLE — Authorities say a woman has been charged with arson after investigators said she set fire to a Louisville home she rented.

Louisville Fire and Rescue spokesman Sgt. Sal Melendez says the fire also damaged two neighboring houses.

Forty-seven-year-old Dianne Williamson was charged Wednesday with one count of first-degree arson and two counts of third-degree arson.

Firefighters were called to the fire around 4:15 p.m. Wednesday.

Melendez says Williamson was the only resident of the home where the fire was set. He says that because of the intensity of the fire and the closeness of the buildings, the houses on either side were also damaged.

Police arrest woman in fatal break-in

Published

H-L Justice Team

on September 14, 2008

in Uncategorized

. 4 Comments

By Valarie Honeycutt-Spears
vhoneycutt@herald-leader.com

Police have arrested a Paris woman who they say was involved in a break-in at an apartment complex near Hamburg Wednesday during which a resident shot and killed one of the alleged intruders.

Teshayla Marie Clark, 30, of Paris was charged with first-degree complicity to commit burglary, according to Fayette District Court records.

She remained in the Fayette County Detention Center Saturday night under a $10,000 bond, jail officials said.

According to police, Brian Simpson, 28, was shot and killed after he, Clark and Reginald Laron Jones charged into an apartment on Polo Club Boulevard.

Jones, 24, was arrested Wednesday afternoon and charged with first-degree burglary.

According to police, the couple who live in the apartment answered knocks at the door and were “rushed” by three people with handguns. One of the residents got a handgun and shot Simpson, police said.

No information about any possible relationship between the intruders and the residents has been released. Police have not said why the three people were at the home.

Police have not charged the shooter. Investigators have said the case might be considered self-defense.

ALSO READ Resident shoots and kills intruder; arrest made

Paris man arraigned in injured toddler’s case

Published

H-L Justice Team

on September 11, 2008

in Lexington police

. 0 Comments

By Shawntaye Hopkins
shopkins@herald-leader.com

A Bourbon County man arrested Thursday and charged with first-degree criminal abuse of an injured Lexington toddler has pleaded not guilty.

$Kerry D. Kenney of Paris, Kentucky has been arrested and charged with first-degree criminal abuse for causing serious physical injury to a Lexington toddler in his care. The two year old received a skull fracture and other broken bones and injuries.$

Kerry D. Kenney of Paris, Kentucky has been arrested and charged with first-degree criminal abuse for causing serious physical injury to a Lexington toddler in his care. The two year old received a skull fracture and other broken bones and injuries.

Kerry D. Kenney, 22, of Paris appeared via video for an arraignment Friday in Fayette District Court as his attorney, Braxton Crenshaw of Lexington, requested a bond reduction for his client. Kenney’s bond remained at $5,000 cash because of a criminal record in Bourbon County.

A 2-year-old boy who lives with his mother, who has not been identified, and Kenney, her boyfriend, was taken to University of Kentucky Hospital early Wednesday from their home on Allante Brook Court.

The boy had several injuries, including a skull fracture.

Lexington police spokeswoman Ann Gutierrez said there might be more charges in the case. She would not say who else might be charged; the boy’s mother hasn’t been ruled out.

Gutierrez said investigators are working with medical personnel to determine how the child might have been injured and how long the child might have been injured. But police are not releasing details about those talks.

Crenshaw said he doesn’t want to try this case in the press, and he declined to discuss specifics about the case.

“I think he’s looking forward to an opportunity to present his side of the case,” Crenshaw said.

Ex-aide in Isaac’s office pleads guilty to misconduct

Published

H-L Justice Team

on August 22, 2008

in Courts

. 1 Comment

By Jim Warren
jwarren@herald-leader.com

A onetime senior aide to former Lexington Mayor Teresa Isaac pleaded guilty in Fayette Circuit Court Friday to a charge of official misconduct in the first degree.

Becky Estep is scheduled for sentencing before Fayette Circuit Judge Thomas Clark on Oct. 13.

Meanwhile, a case is still pending against Debbie Jones, who was an administrative assistant in Isaac’s administration. Jones has another court appearance on Sept. 5.

Jones and Estep were indicted by a Fayette County Grand Jury last March on one count each of theft by unlawful taking over $300, a Class D felony.

According to court documents filed last March, Estep used money belonging to the Lexington Festival Committee to buy clothes, popcorn and lunches worth more than $300. Jones allegedly used money from the same source to pay for a trip to Gatlinburg, Tenn., as well as gift cards and lunches totalling more than $300.

The charge to which Estep pleaded guilty, official misconduct in the first degree, is a Class A misdemeanor, punishable by up to 12 months in jail or a fine of up to $500 or both.

Commonwealth’s Attorney Ray Larson’s office is recommending that Estep serve 180 days in jail and make restitution for what she took. The amount of restitution is still being calculated.

Under Kentucky law, public servants are guilty of official misconduct in the first degree if they knowingly commit acts related to their office that constitute an unauthorized exercise of official function ”with intent to obtain or confer a benefit, or to injure another person or deprive another person of a benefit …“
Reach Jim Warren at 1-800-950-6397 Ext. 3255 or 859-231-3255

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CONTRIBUTORS

Ashlee Clark is the Richmond bureau reporter for the Herald-Leader. She has covered general assignments in Madison, Clark, Estill, Powell and Montgomery counties since she joined the newspaper in September 2007. Ashlee, a Louisville native, is a graduate of Western Kentucky University, where she received degrees in journalism and sociology.

Shawntaye Hopkins is the Herald-Leader’s police reporter, covering local law enforcement, fire and EMS and breaking news. She joined the staff in September 2006 as the newspaper’s night police reporter. Shawntaye, a Louisville native, graduated from Western Kentucky University where she studied journalism and criminology. Shawntaye resides in Lexington.

Delano Massey is the Herald-Leader’s Regional Editor. He works closely with the paper’s bureau reporters and police and courts reporters to plan coverage, pursue breaking news and seek out enterprise stories. A Northeast Ohio native, Delano started his journalism career as a night cops reporter at the Belleville News-Democrat. In 2003, he made the trek to Lexington to take the reins as the newspaper’s daytime cops reporter. Delano, a graduate of the University of Akron, has won numerous awards for breaking news, spot news and investigative journalism.

On the Beat in the Bluegrass