| Criminal Justice News |
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Every Thursday -- check WKYT.com for the latest "A Message from Ray the D.A."
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| American D.A. - LIVE
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Forensic Friday
Every other Friday 9 am
WVLK 590 AM |
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Officer Don's Crime/Safety Prevention Tip |
Online Safety Tips for Teens
While social networking sites can increase your circle of friends, they also can increase your exposure to people with less-than-friendly intentions.
Here are some things you can do to socialize safely online:
Keep control over the information you post by restricting access to your page;
Keep your full name, Social Security number, address, phone number, and all other personal information to yourself;
Make sure your screen name doesn't say too much about you. Even if you think it makes you anonymous, it doesn't take a genius to combine clues to figure out who you are and where you can be found;
Post only information that you are comfortable with others seeing and knowing;
Consider not posting any photos of yourself. They can be altered or broadcast in ways you may not be happy about;
Flirting with strangers online could have serious consequences. Some people lie about who they really are;
Trust your gut if you have suspicions. If you feel threatened by someone or uncomfortable because of something online, tell an adult you trust, and then report it to the police.
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| Sheriff Kathy Witt |
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Fugitives Wanted by the Fayette County Sheriff's Office
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WANTED |
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Michael Scott |
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Burglary 2nd |
DOB: 8/07/1963
Race: Black
Sex: Male
Height: 5'9"
Weight: 240
Hair: Black
Eyes: Brown |
Click here to see who is wanted by the Fayette County Sheriff's Office. |
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TOP STORIES
Office News
Det. Shannon Garner's former partners stop by for a visit.
Death Penalty News Last Words from Death Row - last words of some condemned killers.
Last On American DA - LIVE
Case #1: The O. J. Simpson Las Vegas robbery case.
Case #2: The Mel Ignatow murder/perjury case.
Recent Court Case
Lexington man first to perform a "Plaxico."
Information Center Want to know what cases were Indicted, Dismissed, or Transferred Back To District Court by the Grand Jury and what cases are set for Trial? Check it out here. (Due to the Furloughs necessitated by the state budget shortfall, we were not able to include the most recent Grand Jury Indictments).
Who is on Home Incarceration in Lexington? Convicted criminals in the Home Incarceration Program (HIP) in Lexington. (Due to the Furloughs necessitated by the state budget shortfall, we were not able to include the most recent Home Incarceration participants).
Recent Circuit Court Sentencings
Who went to prison and who was probated. |
| Death Penalty News |
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Last Words From Death Row
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Arthur Gary Bishop, executed in Utah on June 10, 1988
"I want to offer again my most profound and heartfelt apologies to my victims' families. I am truly sorry. I have tried my best to empathize with their grief and devastation and I hope they come to know of my concerns and prayers for them." |
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James W. Chambers, executed in Missouri on Nov. 15, 2000
"I understand the feelings of the Oestricker family, and I ask their forgiveness.... I want to stress to them that I did not go down there that night to harm Jerry. I deeply regret how it turned out." |
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Bennie Demps, executed in Florida on June 8, 2000
"They butchered me back there. I was in a lot of pain. They cut me in the groin; they cut me in the leg. I was bleeding profusely." |
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Westley Allan Dodd, executed in Washington on Jan. 5, 1993
"I was once asked by somebody, I don't remember who, if there was any way sex offenders could be stopped. I said no. I was wrong." |
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Gary Gilmore, executed in Utah on Jan. 17, 1977
"Let's do it." |
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George Harris, executed in Missouri on Sept. 13, 2000
"Somebody needs to kill my trial attorney." |
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William Jones, executed in Missouri on Oct. 20, 2002
"My darling Gerti, my wife, I love you endlessly my honeybird. Till we meet again, stay strong. Love, Billy." |
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Carl Kelly, executed in Texas on Aug. 20, 1993
"I'm an African warrior, born to breathe, and born to die." |
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David Long, executed in Texas on Dec. 8, 1999
"I can't really pinpoint where it started, what happened, but really believe that's just the bottom line, what happened to me was in California. I was in their reformatory schools and penitentiary, but ah, they create monsters in there." |
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Javier Suarez Medina, executed in Texas on Aug. 14, 2002
"To the people of Mexico, I would like to thank them for the help.... They have suffered enough. Long live Mexico. Raise the flag of Mexico with honor. I love you." | Source: TruTV Crime Library |
| Office News |
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Det. Garner's Former Partners Stop By For A Visit
 By Det. Shannon Garner
I was feeling like I had been given a present with the break in the recent cold weather, when I received another real treat with a visit from my former coworkers in the Mounted Unit. The "guys" stopped by my current assignment with the Commonwealth's Attorney's Office during a regular patrol day of the downtown area. Officers Ray Alexander, Marty Parks, Joe Warren and Dan Edge, accompanied by veterans Paco, Nomar, Zeus, and the new kid, Nitro, stopped by to allow me to visit with former equine partners I grew to respect so much while being a member of the Mounted Unit.
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Shannon visits with the Mounted Unit. |
My partners were Pete and Ernie during my time in the Unit, but I felt as if all of the horses grew to be friends. They each had distinct personalities, strengths and weaknesses, but were all magnificent in their own way. It is one thing to develop a relationship with an animal, however it is an indescribable feeling to rely on an animal for your job.
I had no horse experience before joining the Unit, but quickly came to realize that this would become a full partnership with my assigned horse; a partnership that would require much hard work and bravery on each of our parts to successfully do our job and return to the barn at the end of the shift. No, we were not dodging bullets or chasing bank robbers on a daily basis, but, as anyone with horse experience knows, traffic and other obstacles can prove just as dangerous on the back of a horse.
Regardless of the assignment or task, though, all of the horses in the Unit gave heroic efforts each and every day.
So, on nicer days, when I get a chance to pat the "guys'" noses and say hello, I miss being a part of their mission, patrolling the streets of Lexington and getting a chance to talk with lots of other horse lovers around Lexington who, like me, could not resist the urge to pat the horses' noses either. Then, it gets cold again, I remember all of the days with frozen faces, hands, and feet, and then I quickly become content with the short visits where I can say "hello," get my "horse fix" and get back to working cases in a warm office. |
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Last On American DA - LIVE |
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Case #1 - January 16, 2009:
The O. J. Simpson Las Vegas Robbery Case
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Prosecutor David Roger |
Defendant O. J. Simpson |
David Roger is the District Attorney for Clark County, Las Vegas, Nevada. He was hired on with the District Attorney's Office in 1987 as a criminal prosecutor and quickly moved up to handling major cases. He was elected as the Clark County District Attorney in 2002.
Roger has come to national media attention from the O. J. Simpson Las Vegas robbery case. He personally prosecuted O.J. Simpson on the charges, convicting him on all counts.
Listen as David Roger discusses the O. J. Simpson robbery case with Commonwealth's Attorney Ray Larson and WVLK host Jack Pattie on American DA - LIVE on Friday, January 16, 2009.
(will take a few minutes to load).
Case #2 - January 23, 2009:
The Mel Ignatow Murder/Perjury Case
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Prosecutor Carol Cobb |
Defendant Mel Ignatow | Mel Ignatow murdered his fiancee, Brenda Sue Schaefer, in Louisville, Kentucky in 1988. The case was controversial and gained nationwide attention because Ignatow was acquitted of the charge, but photographs proving his guilt were uncovered after the trial. Under the legal principle of double jeopardy, however, Ignatow could not be tried a second time for the murder. He was, instead, convicted and jailed for perjury in his grand jury testimony for the case on several occasions.
Carol Cobb was the Jefferson County Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney that prosecuted Ignatow on the perjury charge. Listen as Cobb discusses this case with Commonwealth's Attorney Ray Larson and WVLK host Jack Pattie on American DA - LIVE on Friday, January 23, 2009.
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| Recent Court Case |
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Lexington Man First To Perform A "Plaxico*"
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Joshua Johnson |
On May 16, 2008, Lexington patrol officers responded to a local hospital when a patient presented with a gunshot wound. The patient was identified as Joshua Johnson, age 20. He told the police that he had shot himself in the leg with a handgun, which was found in his car parked at the hospital. Further investigation revealed that Johnson was a felon and on probation for Receiving Stolen Property. Johnson was treated and transported to the Fayette County Detention Center. He failed to return from a one-day medical pass in early August, was arrested a few days later, and returned to jail.
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Prosecutor Dan Laren | Johnson pled guilty to Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Bail Jumping. His probation was revoked and he was sentenced to serve a total of 8 years in the penitentiary. His criminal record now shows the above three felonies and nine misdemeanor convictions, including Receiving Stolen Property, Carrying a Concealed Weapon, and Theft.
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Plaxico Burress |
*Editor's note: Plaxico Burress, a wide receiver for the New York Giants, was charged with Unlawful Possession of a Firearm after allegedly shooting himself in the leg at a New York City night club in November of 2008. His case is pending at this time. |
| Information Center |
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Due to the Furloughs necessitated by the state budget shortfall, we were not able to include the most recent Grand Jury Indictments.
The Fayette Commonwealth's Attorney's Office Criminal Trial Schedule is updated each Monday. To see our trial schedule, click here. |
| Who Is On Home Incarceration In Lexington? |
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| Convicted Criminals In The Home Incarceration Program (HIP) in Lexington
Inmates who are nearing the end of their sentences can be placed into the Home Incarceration Program (HIP) under certain circumstances. Offenders who are part of this program are technically still incarcerated; however, they are placed in the community under electronic monitoring rather than being behind the walls of a correctional facility.
To learn the identity of the inmates presently in the Home Incarceration Program in our community, click here. (Due to the Furloughs necessitated by the state budget shortfall, we were not able to include the most recent Home Incarceration participants). |
| Fayette Circuit Court Sentencings |
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Circuit Court Sentencings
Friday, January 16, 2009 | |
| 3rd Division - Judge James Ishmael | |
HAYES, Shannon Rico
Age: 34 |
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| Sentenced to 6 months in jail for the prosecution's amended charge of 2nd degree Fleeing or Evading the Police, probated 2 years. Ordered to pay $1,150 in restitution. | |
KAVANAUGH, Chester M. II
Age: 38 |
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| Sentenced to 12 months in jail for the prosecution's amended charge of Criminal Attempt to Possession of a Forged Instrument, 1st Offense, to serve 20 days in jail, probated 2 years. | |
LEWIS, Eugene Lee
Age: 49 |
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| Sentenced to 1 year each in prison for 2 counts of Flagrant Non Support, to run consecutively for a total of 2 years in prison, probated 5 years. | |
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| 4th Division - Judge Pamela Goodwine | |
ABDIN, Haitham Wael
Age: 27 |
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| Sentenced to 5 years in prison for Trafficking in a Controlled Substance within 1,000 Yards of a School, 1 year in prison for Trafficking in a Controlled Substance within 1,000 Yards of School, 1 year in prison for Receiving Stolen Property over $300 and 12 months in jail for Use/Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, 1st Offense, to run concurrently for a total of 5 years in prison, probated 5 years. | |
AVILA, Alberto Guadalupe
Age: 20 |
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| Sentenced to 90 days in jail for Menacing, conditionally discharged for 1 year. | |
BATES, Justin Allen
Age: 28 |
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| Sentenced to 12 months in jail for the prosecution's amended charge of 2nd degree Wanton Endangerment, probated 2 years. | |
LAMB, Phillip Michael
Age: 32 |
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| Sentenced to 5 years in prison for Fraudulent Use of Credit Cards over $100 within a 6-Month Period, 1 year in prison for 3rd degree Burglary, 12 months each in jail for 2 counts of Theft by Unlawful Taking over $300, 12 months each in jail for 3 counts of the prosecution's amended charge of Fraudulent Use of Credit Cards under $100, 12 months in jail for the prosecution's amended charge of 2nd degree Criminal Attempt Forgery, and 12 months in jail for Use/Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, 1st Offense, to run concurrently for a total of 5 years in prison, probated 5 years. Ordered to pay $2,659.17 in restitution. | |
MAXWELL. Kenneth Andrew
Age: 32 |
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| Sentenced to 12 months in jail for the prosecution's amended charge of 2nd degree Wanton Endangerment, probated 2 years. | |
MCMILLAN, Robert Lewis
Age: 69 |
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| Sentenced to 1 year in prison for the prosecution's amended charge of Possession of a Controlled Substance, 1st Offense. Sent to prison. | |
SMITH, Terrance Ray
Age: 34 |
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| Sentenced to 3 years in prison for 2nd degree Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument, 1st Offense, probated 5 years. | |
VELASQUEZ,
Reyes
Age: 23
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| Sentenced to 5 years in prison for the prosecution's amended charge of Trafficking in a Controlled Substance, 1st Offense, 1 year in prison for Use/Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, 2nd or > Offense, and 10 days in jail for Operating on a Suspended/Revoked Operators License, to run concurrently for a total of 5 years in prison, probated 5 years. | |
| 7th Division - Judge Ernesto Scorsone | |
FOX, Takisha Sherrelle
Age: 31 |
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| Sentenced to 12 months in jail for the prosecution's amended charge of 4th degree Assault, serve 30 days, probated 2 years. | |
GENTRY, Frank Joseph
Age: 74 |
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| Sentenced to 6 months in jail for 1st degree Terroristic Threatening and 90 days in jail for Menacing, to run concurrently for 6 months in jail, probated 2 years. | |
HAND, Kevin Sean
Age: 27 |
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| Sentenced to 12 months in jail for the prosecution's amended charge of 1st degree Possession of Drug Paraphernalia and 12 months for 2nd degree Possession of a Controlled Substance, 1st Offense, to run concurrently for a total of 12 months in jail, serve 5 weekends, probated 2 years. | |
LANEY, Richard A.
Age: 48 |
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| Sentenced to 7 years in prison for Failure to Comply with Sex Offender Registration, 2nd Offense or <. Sent to prison. | |
STEPHENS, Ashlee H.
Age: 24 |
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| Sentenced to 1 year in prison for Abandonment of a Minor, diverted 3 years. | |
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| 8th Division - Judge Thomas L. Clark | |
CASTRO, Juan Ray
Age: 22 |
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| Sentenced to 1 year in prison for Retaliating Against a Participant in the Legal Process, probated 4 years. | |
| CHRISTOPHER, Dondrece Deandre
Age: 23 |
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| Sentenced to 12 months in jail for the prosecution's amended charge of 1st degree Attempted Criminal Mischief, probated 2 years. | |
GALVAN, Isidro
Age: 31 |
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| Sentenced to 5 years in prison for Counterfeit Intellectual Property > 100 Items, 2nd Offense and 2 years in prison for Offer for Sale/Rent Illegal Copies of Recordings, to run concurrently for a total of 5 years in prison, conditionally discharged for 5 years. Ordered to pay $2,000 in restitution. | |
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| 9th Division - Judge Kimberly Bunnell | |
CLAY, Demarcus Lamont
Age: 35 |
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| Sentenced to time served for the prosecution's amended charge of 2nd degree Fleeing or Evading the Police, time served. | |
EDWARDS, Deaudre Lamar
Age: 22 |
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| Sentenced to 2 years in prison for the prosecution's amended charge of 2nd degree Assault under Extreme Emotional Disturbance, probated 5 years. Ordered to pay $9,138.06 in restitution. | |
LEADINGHAM, April Marie
Age: 23 |
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| Sentenced to 3 years in prison for 2nd degree Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument , 1st Offense, probated 5 years. Ordered to pay $635.70 in restitution. | |
PIERSON, Randy Kyle
Age: 47 |
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| Sentenced to 10 years in prison for 1st degree Robbery. Sent to prison. | |
SCHUENEMAN, Jay Arthur
Age: 43 |
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| Sentenced to 3 years in prison for Operating a Motor Vehicle under the Influence of Alcohol/Drugs, .08, 4th Offense and a 5-year license suspension, and 1 year in prison for Driving DUI with a Suspended License , 2nd Offense in 5 Years, to run concurrently for a total of 3 years in prison. Sent to prison. | |
SIPES, Larry Anthony
Age: 31 |
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| Sentenced to 1 year in prison for Flagrant Non Support, and, in a separate case, 5 years in prison for 1st degree Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument, 1st Offense, to run consecutively for a total of 6 years in prison, probated 5 years. Ordered to pay $14,926.72 in arrearages. | |
TODD, John William
Age: 64 |
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| Sentenced to 10 years in prison for the prosecution's amended charge of 1st degree Manslaughter. Sent to prison. | |
WALTERS, Ricky Lee
Age: 53 |
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| Sentenced to 1 year in prison for Flagrant Non Support, probated 5 years. Ordered to pay $23,592.50 in restitution. | | | |
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