Tag Archive for 'Richmond'

Two injured in Richmond shooting

- aclark@herald-leader.com

RICHMOND — Police were searching Monday for suspects and a motive behind a nightclub shooting in which two Lexington men were injured.

Richmond police responded to a call of a disturbance about 1 a.m. Sunday at Planet X nightclub at 122 East Main Street but did not locate a problem, police spokesman Willard Reardon said.

A few minutes later, multiple gunshots were fired as patrons began leaving the club, Reardon said. Two unidentified people — an 18-year-old male and a 19-year-old male, both from Lexington — were shot and taken to Pattie A. Clay Hospital. One man was shot in the leg and the other was shot in the arm. Their injuries were not considered life-threatening, police said. They were then taken to University of Kentucky Hospital.

Witnesses told police the shots were fired from a vehicle that left the scene.

Police do not know whether a fight started inside the club or on the street, Reardon said.

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Richmond Crimes of the Day

The following crimes and arrests were reported to the Richmond Police Department between Jan. 7 and Jan. 8, according to the department:

Theft of Vehicle: On 01/07/2009, a patron of Clark Shell on the Eastern Bypass reported the theft of prescription medication from her vehicle while she was inside the business. The victim stated that she left her prescription for Xanax on the passenger seat of the unlocked vehicle while she went inside the business. The prescription contained 28 pills and was still in the pharmacy bag.

Theft of Credit Cards: On 01/07/2009, an official of the First Presbyterian Church on West Main Street reported the theft of four charge/credit cards from the office. The cards were from Walmart, OfficeMax, BP and Kroger. There was no evidence the cards had been used since the theft.

Theft of Drugs: On 01/07/2009, a resident of Hines Motel reported the theft of a gold “pinky ring” and a prescription drugs from his room. The victim stated that approximately 40 hydrocodone pills had been stolen. There were no signs of forced entry into the room. Estimated loss: $325.00

Vehicle Shot: On 01/07/2009, the operator of a handicapped van owned by P Cab Company of Berea reported a gun shot penetrated his vehicle while he was parked on Commercial Drive near Richmond Active Day Care Center. The operator of the vehicle was sitting in the vehicle waiting to pick up riders when he heard a shattering sound. Upon inspecting the vehicle, the operator found a bullet hole through two rear windows. The round had apparently passed cleanly through the vehicle from one side to the other. Officers checked the surrounding areas but were unable to locate any suspects. The operator did not hear a gunshot.

Theft of Bicycle: On 01/07/2009, a resident in the 1100 block of West Main Street reported the theft of a bicycle from her garage. The victim described the bike as a Smoothie10-speed, blue in color, with a large seat. Estimated loss: $400.00

Theft from Vehicle: On 01/08/2009, a patron of Outback Steakhouse reported the theft of a tool kit from the bed of his pickup truck while it was parked at the establishment. The victim reported noticing that his bed-mounted tool box was slightly ajar when he returned to his vehicle. Upon inspection, he found the tool kit missing. The kit was described as a Craftsman Mechanics kit in a hard plastic Craftsman case. Estimated loss: $150.00

Burglary: On 01/08/2009, a resident of the Hines Motel reported a number of items stolen from his room. The victim stated that he believed his room had been entered on at least three prior occasions, none of which were reported to police. The victim reported a gold colored men’s watch, a women’s watch, two gold cross earrings, a knife and $50.00 in cash were stolen in the burglaries. There were no signs of forced entry to the room.

Estimated loss: $300.00

Theft from Vehicle: On 01/08/2009, a resident of an apartment in the 100 block of Meadowlark Drive reported the theft of 20 CD’s from her unlocked vehicle while it was parked during the overnight hours. Estimated loss: $100.00

Burglary of Business: On 01/08/2009, the Richmond Regional Oncology Center reported that someone had unlawfully entered the business between 01/06 and 01/08/2009 and stolen a red Nikon Coolpix camera. There were no signs of forced entry. Estimated loss: $200.00

Theft from Vehicle: On 01/08/2009, a resident in the 100 block of Robbins Drive reported a theft from his unlocked vehicle while it was parked during the overnight hours. The victim reported that a pair of Nike Lebron James basketball shoes were stolen along with a Nike backpack, two bottles of cologne and 20 CD’s. Estimated loss: $435.00

Theft from Vehicle: On 01/08/2009, a resident of an apartment in the 100 block of S. Killarney Lane reported the theft of a number of items from her unlocked vehicle while it was parked during the overnight hours. The victim reported that a brown Coach purse, 40 CD’s, some baking pans and a bottle of perfume had been stolen from the vehicle. Estimated loss: $296.00

Arrests: The following arrests/citations occurred on 01/08/2009:

Holly A. VanZandt, age 42, Ashley Court, Berea, was charged for DUI, Resisting Arrest, Unlawful Imprisonment 2nd Degree and Illegal Possession of a Legend Drug after an incident on Duncannon Lane wherein VanZandt forced another vehicle to stop. A complainant reported that VanZandt had nearly struck her vehicle several times and finally forced the complainant to pull to the side of the road where VanZandt blocked her in, thus preventing the complainant from leaving. Officers suspected VanZandt of being under the influence of an intoxicant and arrested her. A Levoxyl pill was found in her purse with no indication of a prescription.

Jason L. Murrell-Deaton, age 26, Lancaster, KY, was charged for Possession of a Controlled Substance 3rd Degree after he was found in possession of a prescription bottle of pills not belonging to him. The discovery was made when officers wee called to the Walmart parking lot to investigate suspicious activity involving Murrell-Deaton and another party.

Jerry L. McGee, age 37, Dixie Plaza, Richmond, was charged for Assault 4th Degree (Domestic Violence) after he allegedly twisted the arm of his 79-year –old father, causing minor injury, during an argument at the residence they share.

Steven A. Carl, age 40, Lowery Heights, Richmond, was charged for Possession of Marijuana and Tampering with Evidence after a traffic stop on N. Madison Avenue. After being stopped, Carl attempted to destroy marijuana in his possession by eating it.

Michelle D. Kelley, age 23, Keeneland Drive, Richmond, was charged for Possession of a Controlled Substance 3rd Degree following a traffic stop on Turpin Drive. Kelley was found to be operating the vehicle without a license and was arrested. A search of her vehicle produced a number of Schedule V controlled substances in an unmarked bottle.

Contact: Sergeant Willard Reardon

Richmond Police Department

859-623-1162 ext 3041

859-661-2659 cell

wreardon@richmond.ky.us

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Former Richmond nursing home aide is charged with wanton neglect

Jaclyn Dawn VanWinkle, a former nurse’s aide at Madison Manor Nursing Home in Richmond, who was arrested in connection with actions caught on a hidden video camera, denies charges that she neglected an 84-year-old former resident of the home. 

“I think I took very good care of Mrs. (Armeda) Thomas,” VanWinkle, 25, said in a telephone interview Thursday. “I’ve done nothing wrong.”

VanWinkle was arrested Wednesday and charged with wanton neglect. She said an investigator from Attorney General Jack Conway’s office told her that as many as eight of her former co-workers — none now work at the facility — also face criminal charges.

“I was charged with neglect because the videotape showed me singing and dancing,” VanWinkle said. “They said it looked like I was taunting her. They said I was being disrespectful.”

Shelley Johnson, a spokeswoman for the attorney general’s office, said the criminal investigation is continuing.

Armeda Thomas’ family members hid a video camera in her room without the nursing home’s knowledge for three weeks after they discovered 36 bruises all over her body and didn’t get satisfactory answers from the staff.

The videotape shows nursing assistants at Madison Manor physically abusing and taunting Thomas, of Irvine, and failing to feed and clean her, according to state records.

VanWinkle is not charged with physically abusing Thomas. State records concerning the investigation refer to an occurrence in which a nursing assistant danced in front of Thomas while one other staff member held the resident’s arms.

Cindi Simpson, a spokeswoman for Extendicare, the Wisconsin-based company that owns Madison Manor, said that nine nursing assistants have been fired and that there have been other staff changes, as well as retraining, since the incidents were filmed.

“We have terminated any employees seen acting inappropriately toward this resident,” said Simpson, “We don’t condone this kind of behavior.”

‘Part of daily routine’

VanWinkle said the singing and dancing showed on the videotape was neither disrespect nor neglect and might have been misunderstood because it was not accompanied by sound.

“It was part of my daily routine with her, to get her to get up, get dressed, go to the rest room.”

VanWinkle did not have her certified nursing assistant’s license at the time of the alleged incident, she said, although she had completed her training.

Under state regulations, she was allowed to work at the nursing home for a certain time period without passing a competency test. Nursing home officials said she passed her test Sept. 8.

An investigator from Conway’s office also told VanWinkle that her failure to use a safety belt, called a gait belt, when transferring Armeda Thomas from her bed to a wheelchair also constituted neglect, she said.

However, VanWinkle said supervisors should have told her to use the gait belt.

“I like working with the elderly. I like taking care of people,” said VanWinkle, who took the job at Madison Manor in the spring and began classes at the facility to get her license.

VanWinkle said she was suspended in October and fired in November.

The arrest came as a shock, she said.

“My grandmother is in a nursing home,” VanWinkle said. “She has Alzheimer’s and dementia. I visit her every day.”

Cared for at home

Thomas, of Irvine, died in November of complications from Alzheimer’s disease. Family members cared for her at home after they discovered how she was treated.

Deb Hamilton, Thomas’ granddaughter, said Thursday that nursing home workers should be held accountable for their behavior.

“There need to be consequences,” Hamilton said. “Maybe it’s a facility that fostered an environment where they didn’t have adequate training and quality of care. Co-workers didn’t feel comfortable coming forward.”

VanWinkle, of Richmond, was released Wednesday night on $7,500 bond. She said she is scheduled to appear in court Monday.

In March 2007, she pleaded guilty to a charge of public intoxication with a controlled substance, a misdemeanor, and paid $177 in court costs, according to Madison Court records.

In October she was charged with public intoxication, but the charge was dismissed.

Wrongful-death suit

In a separate case, the family of Teresa Kay Ritter, who died in September 2007 after a two-month stay at Madison Manor, filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against the nursing home on Oct. 22. The lawsuit alleges that poor care at the facility resulted in the amputation of her left foot, renal failure and ultimately, death. Ritter also sustained unexplained bruising and lacerations, according to the lawsuit.

Lisa Circeo, the Lexington attorney who represents the family, said the Cabinet for Health and Family Services found violations of mandatory regulations with regard to Ritter and that Adult Protective Services substantiated neglect.

Circeo said her law firm had represented clients in at least eight other wrongful death lawsuits that have been filed against Extendicare facilities in Kentucky since 2006.

In the Thomas case, Madison Manor received the most serious citation a nursing home can receive. State officials say that the most serious problems have been corrected.

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Suspect: “I always do stupid stuff when I get on Xanaxes”

BEREA A Berea man has been arrested after allegedly turning a night of thievery into a father-son event.

Madison County Sheriff’s Deputy Sgt. Jed Hudson arrested Berea resident Danny J. Thacker, 35, just after midnight Friday after Thacker reportedly took a golf cart from St. Joseph Berea with a little help from his 15-year-old son.

Read full story in Richmond Register.

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Prosecutor will seek death penalty in 6-year-old murder case

The Associated Press

STANFORD — A central Kentucky prosecutor has filed notice that he plans to seek the death penalty against one of the three men charged in a six-year-old murder case.

The Advocate-Messenger in Danville reports that 25-year-old Deonte Simmons of Richmond pleaded not guilty Friday in Lincoln County Circuit Court. He’s charged with two counts of murder, two counts of attempted murder, two counts of robbery and one count of burglary.

The charges stem from the deaths of 20-year-old Ryan Shangraw and 19-year-old Harold “Bo” Upton III in February 2002 in Lincoln County and attacks on two girls who were in Shangraw’s trailer when the slayings happened.

Commonwealth’s Attorney Eddy Montgomery filed notice he plans to seek the death penalty for Simmons.

Also pleading not guilty Friday was Jamarkos Campbell of Richmond, who faces the same charges. Campbell was a juvenile when the slayings occurred and wouldn’t be eligible for capital punishment.

Montgomery says a murder charge against a third suspect, Matthew Tolson of Richmond, will be presented to a grand jury next month.


Information from: The Advocate-Messenger, http://www.amnews.com

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