Local News

KSP Trooper Of The Year

Tue, 22 May 2012 06:20:29 -0400

       The Kentucky State Police Trooper of the
Year has been announced, and he is Clyde Dingess of Williamsburg.
      Dingess is an eight-year veteran of the state police and is
assigned to the London post. The agency says in addition to issuing
more than 1,200 traffic citations, Dingess worked on copper wire
theft cases in Whitley County, helped discover an illegal pawn shop
in Corbin and conducted multiple methamphetamine investigations.
      The Detective of the Year is Daniel Morck of the Madisonville
post, and Georgetown-based Officer Jeremy Younger was named Officer
of the Year for the Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division.
      The awards were among those announced Monday in Frankfort.

Update: Arrest Made In Triple Shooting

Tue, 22 May 2012 05:41:00 -0400

Police made an arrest following a triple shooting at a home in Danville Monday.
Officers were called to reports of shots fired at High and 5th Streets at around 4:30 p.m.
When they arrived, they found a man suffering from a gunshot wound.
The victim told them he went to visit a friend at a nearby home and walked in on an armed man holding two other men at gunpoint.
He said he was shot while escaping and called 911.
Police then went to the home the man ran from and discovered the bodies of two men inside.
The surviving victim was airlifted to the University of Kentucky hospital.
Police later arrested 39-year-old Thomas Hager and charged him with two counts of murder and one count of attempted murder.
Police are not saying what may have led to the shootings.

Update: Police Investigate Double Homicide In Danville

Mon, 21 May 2012 22:58:00 -0400

Police say 2 men are dead and a third man is in the hospital after a shooting in Danville.

And police are looking for the man who they believe did it.

Officers were called around 4:30 Monday afternoon to reports of gunfire at High and 5th Streets.

They found a man there who had been shot.

The victim told police he went to visit a friend at a nearby home, and when he walked in, he found an armed man holding two other men at gunpoint.

The victim says that's when he tried to get away.

Danville Police Chief Tony Gray says, "He tried to exit the house by jumping through a window and was fired upon. There was more gun shots and the hispanic male left in a blue Chevy pickup."

Police say they later found two men dead inside the home.

The third victim who survived was flown to UK Hospital.

No word on his condition.

Police were still looking for the armed man late Monday night, who they say took off in a blue chevy pickup with tan, silver or light brown molding.

Prosecutor: Former State Trooper Tried To Trade Drugs For Sex In Uniform

Tue, 22 May 2012 00:30:00 -0400

A former Kentucky State Trooper, who had already pleaded guilty to federal drug charges, has now been convicted of carrying a firearm while trafficking prescription narcotics.

Prosecutors said, Michael Fred Pennington, 35, who worked out of the London KSP Post, offered a woman a Lortab pill in exchange for sex in September of 2011.

The woman alerted law enforcement. Once Trooper Pennington arrived at the woman's home in London and gave her the pill, detectives with KSP immediately intervened. Trooper Pennington resigned hours later.

Prosecutors said testimony proved that Pennington tried to use his authority, including his firearm, to intimidate the woman to engage in sex for drugs.

Prosecutors said Trooper Pennington was off duty at the time, but still was in full uniform, carrying his gun, when he gave her the pill.

Pennington is scheduled to be sentenced September 6, 2012.

He faces a maximum of 10-years on each drug offense and a minimum of five years on the firearm offense.

Alcohol Sales Restricted on Election Day

Tue, 22 May 2012 00:21:00 -0400

Alcohol sales are partially restricted on Election Day.

The sale of malt beverages, distilled spirits and wine are not allowed during polling hours.

The polls on Tuesday, May 22, 2012, will be open from 6:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. (EDT)

Police: "Senior Prank" Leads To Criminal Charges Against West Jessamine High Students

Mon, 21 May 2012 22:35:00 -0400

Nicholasville Police have charged eight West Jessamine High School seniors in connection with vandalism at the high school that authorities called a "Senior Prank."

One of the eight charged is a juvenile.

The seven adults charged in the case are:

Jonah Gentry - Burglary 3rd
Jeff Ziemann - Burglary 3rd
Kendall Jones - Burglary 3rd
Harold Brabon - Conspiracy to Commit Burglary 3rd
Austin Martin - Conspiracy to Commit Burglary 3rd
Joseph Durbin - Conspiracy to Commit Burglary 3rd
Sean Donaldson - Conspiracy to Commit Burglary 3rd

Authorities said upon arrival at the school on May 15th, school staff found spray-paint damage and toilet paper around the outside of the facility.

Inside the school there was damage to some computer equipment and books had been thrown out windows.

Police said they're still waiting on final damage figures, but that full restitution will be sought.

Update: Lexington Pedestrians Speak Out On Jaywalking

Mon, 21 May 2012 22:54:00 -0400

It's quickly becoming a problem in Lexington, and it could get worse as more people drive and walk this summer.

Vehicles have hit 4 pedestrians in the last week.

Two of the victims died and a third pedestrian was rushed to the hospital with life-threatening injuries.

Now folks in Lexington are starting to wonder if jaywalking is becoming a problem in town.

Some people say it all depends on what streets they're on, and say they feel safer on one-way streets like many of those going through the UK Campus.

Others say there needs to be a crackdown on jaywalkers if for no other reason than to save lives.

The latest accident happened Saturday night when a man tried to cross Newtown Pike.

There were no crosswalks nearby, which police say is a common factor in each of the accidents.

A pedestrian was hit and killed on May 13th near Richmond Road and Fontaine.

And the next night, a pedestrian was hit and killed near the intersection of Nicholasville Road and Zandale Drive.

Two more accidents happened last Friday and Saturday on Liberty Road and on Newtown Pike.

Looking at all 4 accidents, police say at least 2 of the victims were intoxicated and wearing dark clothes.

Officers also say it appears that none of the victims were paying attention to traffic when they were hit.

However, police say this many incidences in such a short amount of time does demand some attention.

Lexington Police Sergeant Ronald Keaton says, "I think that you'll see we will probably pull some numbers to see what exactly the information tells us about jaywalking and pedestrians collisions that we've had recently and try to figure out if there's something we can do to educate the public to prevent those in the future."

And police say there's also a common misconception at play, and that's that a pedestrian always has the right away.

Police also remind the community that as soon as you step out of a crosswalk, a driver is not technically at fault.

Update: Additional Charges Against Accused Purse Snatcher

Mon, 21 May 2012 22:23:00 -0400

Nicholasville Police said Monday that James "Colton" Mahan has been charged in connection with two additional purse snatchings, bringing the total to three thefts.

Investigators said Mahan is accused of snatching a purse from a woman in a Kroger parking lot on Sunday. Police said they found him hiding in a shed in a backyard not far from the crime scene.

Police said Mahan is also accused of snatching a purse from a woman in the Wal-Mart parking lot on May 17th and May 19th.

Investigators said the victim in the May 17th theft was an elderly woman who was knocked to the ground by Mahan. Police said she suffered a broken pelvis.

Police said the woman in the May 19th theft cut her hand trying to hold on to her purse. The cut required medical attention.

Mahan remains in the Jessamine County Detention Center.

Election Fraud Hotline Open During Tuesday's Primary

Mon, 21 May 2012 19:29:00 -0400

If Kentuckians witness election irregularities or possible election law violations during Tuesday's Primary, they are encouraged to call the Election Fraud Hotline toll-free at 1-800-328-VOTE (800-328-8683).

The hotline is open throughout the year during normal business hours and from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Election Day.

Investigators from the Kentucky Attorney General's Office will patrol precincts and polling places across the Commonwealth during the Primary Election.

The hotline received six calls on the day of the 2011 Primary and 22-calls from 16- counties during last year's General Election.

The Presidential Primary Election of 2008 resulted in 59-calls from 29-counties.

Double Shooting In Danville

Mon, 21 May 2012 18:36:00 -0400

Police are investigating a double shooting that happened at Fifth and High streets in Danville Monday evening.

Kentucky State Police say they are assisting in the search for the suspect, who they describe as a Hispanic man between 5'6" and 5'8" with a mohawk. They say he was driving a blue Chevy truck with an extended cab and a brown stripe along the bottom.

ABC 36 has crews on their way to the scene, and we'll update you with more information as we receive it.