| Criminal Justice News |
 Every Monday -- check WKYT.com for the latest "A Message from Ray the D.A." |
| American D.A. - LIVE
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Forensic Friday
Every Friday 9 am
WVLK 590 AM |
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Officer Don's Crime/Safety Prevention Tip |
Attorney General Conway Urges Consumers to Consider Toy and Product Safety this Holiday Season
Attorney General Jack Conway urges Kentucky consumers to consider toy and product safety information when making holiday purchases.
"I want the holidays to be as safe and happy as possible for Kentucky families," said General Conway. "Being aware of the latest product safety measures and recall information can prevent potential injuries and possibly save lives."
A guide to the latest toy and product recall information is available through the Office of the Attorney General's website at http://tinyurl.com/yckyenb. Consumers can also find product recall information through the Consumer Product Safety Commission's (CPSC) website at www.cpsc.gov . The CPSC is the federal agency responsible for developing safety standards for thousands of products from toys to power tools with the goal of protecting the public from unreasonable risk of bodily injury or death.
When the CPSC identifies a dangerous product, it issues alerts and can require the manufacturer to issue a product recall. For Fiscal Year 2009, the CPSC completed 465 cooperative recalls involving 229.6 million consumer product units that either violated mandatory standards or presented a substantial risk of injury to the public.
Other Important Holiday Safety Tips:
Follow recommended age ranges on toy packages.
Read instructions carefully before allowing your child to play with a toy received as a gift.
Be aware that children age three and younger can choke on small toys and toy parts with a diameter of one and three-quarters of an inch or smaller.
Be careful with gift bags, wrapping paper, ribbons and bows. These items can cause suffocation and choking hazards to a small child.
Remove strings and ribbons from toys before giving them to young children.
www.OfficerDon.com |
| 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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Marianne Lanee Collins |
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Assault 2nd |
DOB: 7/1/1977
Race: White
Sex: Female
Height: 5'5"
Weight: 130
Hair: Blonde
Eyes: Blue |
Click here to see who is wanted by the Fayette County Sheriff's Office. |
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TOP STORIES
Straight Talk From Ray the D.A.
When it comes to our high-crime neighborhoods, the "Let Them Eat Cake" crowd is alive and well.
Straight Talk From Ray the D.A.
Newspaper apparently wants the public to "trade-off" their safety for smaller prison budget.
Straight Talk From Ray the D.A.
Rats! What lousy timing. Cop-killer Maurice Clemmons joins Willie Horton as brutal reminders of why law-breakers go to prison in the first place. American D.A. - LIVE Case #1: GPS, a great tool to prevent domestic violence.
Case #2: The Cease-Fire Project - a program designed to prevent gang and gun violence.
Kentucky's Death Row
Details about the case of Kentucky's Death Row inmate Ralph Baze. Recent Court Case
Online contact leads to guilty plea. Conviction results in registration for sex offender. 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. Who is on Home Incarceration in Lexington?
Convicted criminals in the Home Incarceration Program (HIP) in Lexington.
Recent Circuit Court Sentencings
Who went to prison and who was probated. |
| Straight Talk From Ray the D.A. |
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When It Comes To Our High-Crime Neighborhoods, The "Let Them Eat Cake" Crowd Is Alive And Well
 There are limits to what our government will do, or even should do, to protect you from crime. That's what anti-incarceration activist Robert G. Lawson thinks. Here's exactly what he said:
"A reduction in the prison population . . . would begin to sound a necessary warning that there are limits beyond which the state should not and will not go in its efforts to protect the public against the commission of a crime."
Professor Robert G. Lawson, University of Kentucky College of Law |
 | Just whose safety does Lawson think is not worth protecting? It doesn't take much to figure that out. It is our fellow citizens who live in high crime neighborhoods that "the state should not and will not protect from crime." So, to those who live in high-crime neighborhoods, Lawson's attitude, from the safety of academia, is clear - "It's not my problem - you deal with it!"
Lawson and his anti-incarceration accomplices remind me of Marie Antoinette's legendary and condescending statement about the suffering and starving peasants in France. "Let Them Eat Cake," she reportedly said. She was really not concerned about the plight of the less fortunate French peasants who were starving to death while she lived in the lap of safety and luxury.
The same can be said about anti-incarceration advocate Robert G. Lawson and his accomplices in the legislature, academia and on editorial boards about crime in Kentucky. Crime and its impact is not a real big problem for them. Most of them live in relatively well-to-do, upper middle income, and mostly white neighborhoods. Crime doesn't affect them much, because crime doesn't happen much in their neighborhoods. They don't face the constant concern for their safety or the safety of their kids and grandchildren. Fear of crime really doesn't appear on their radar screen. In their world, like Marie Antoinette's, everything is just fine.
Not so for our high-crime neighborhoods. In these neighborhoods, everything is not just fine. Unfortunately, those neighborhoods are too often lower socio-economic and predominately minority. The residents of these neighborhoods are afraid of crime and criminals. Their lives are affected by crime, and they expect our police and prosecutors, Judges, and jails and prisons to do everything possible to protect them from criminals.
So, in Lawson's world, if you live in a high-crime neighborhood, you may be out of luck. Be advised you residents of high-crime neighborhoods, if Professor Lawson has his way, there are limits on what will be done or even what should be done to protect you from crimes and criminals.
The message from Lawson and his anti-incarceration gang is pretty clear: "Not my problem. You deal with it. And, by the way, HAVE SOME CAKE!" |
| Straight Talk From Ray the D.A. |
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Newspaper Apparently Wants The Public To "Trade-Off" Their Safety For Smaller Prison Budget
"The public, including crime victims, will support penal 'reform' if their leaders communicate the reasons and trade-offs in straight-forward, unemotional terms."
Editorial opinion, Lexington Herald-Leader, 12-01-09
Trade-off what? Our safety? The editorial writers at the Lexington Herald-Leader apparently expect the rest of us to gladly give up our safety to save money in the state prison budget. They call it a "trade-off". Not only that, they actually suggest that if we communicate the reasons for giving up our safety in "straight-forward and unemotional terms" that everyone, including crime victims, will enthusiastically jump on board the "Get Out of Jail Early" express.
Try telling the residents of the high-crime neighborhoods of Lexington that they should trade their safety to benefit the prison budget. Unfortunately, the citizens who live in those neighborhoods are far too often predominately lower socio-economic and minority. Furthermore, these are the very neighborhoods to which repeat-offenders return when released from jail and prison.
Aren't these high-crime neighborhoods entitled to same sense of safety as those who live in our more affluent and mostly-white neighborhoods? Of course they are, and no amount of "straight-forward and unemotional" conversation would or should convince them to "trade-off" their safety.
Such a statement is evidence of just how out-of-touch they are with us average citizens who simply want and expect our government to do everything it can to keep us safe from law-breakers.
Then there is the matter of their definition of "Reform." Reform to them seems to mean less accountability for criminal behavior, less punishment, and less incarceration for criminals who commit crimes.
To most of us, and especially crime victims, leaving people on our streets after they have committed crimes is nothing more than a reward for illegal behavior. That's not "reform," that's retreat. To crime victims and most of the public, their definition represents a retreat to the bad-old-days of higher crime rates and more victims of those crimes and criminals.
Like Congress, "they aren't listening to us." |
| Straight Talk From Ray the D.A. |
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Rats! What Lousy Timing. Cop-Killer Maurice Clemmons Joins Willie Horton As Brutal Reminders Of Why Law-Breakers Go To Prison In The First Place
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Willie Horton, left, & Maurice Clemmons | Just when Kentucky's Supreme Court gave a unanimous "Thumbs-Up" to our Legislature's "Get Out of Jail Early" scheme to release convicted criminals before they have served their sentences;
And just when Senator Robin Webb was proclaiming the cost savings and protection of the public afforded by the early release of prisoners;
And just when the Lexington Herald-Leader was giddy over the decision of the Supreme Court and gushing over the wisdom of the "Get Out of Jail Early" program:
Maurice Clemmons screwed it all up. Clemmons, you will recall, made national news recently and served as a dramatic and brutal reminder why law-breakers are sent to prison in the first place. You remember Maurice Clemmons. He's the convicted criminal who was let out early - then gunned down four Tacoma, Washington police officers.
So in Kentucky's "rush to release" convicted criminals early from our jails and prisons - what is being done to guarantee that Tacoma's tragedy won't happen right here in Kentucky?
The "let'em out" bunch says "but nobody can guarantee that felons who are released early won't commit another violent crime."
Sure you can! They won't re-offend if they are still in prison.
That's what the public expects! |
| American D.A. - LIVE |
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Case #1: GPS, A Great Tool To Prevent Domestic Violence
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Rep. Greg Stumbo |
Greg Stumbo, the Speaker of the Kentucky House of Representatives, has proposed a law to permit GPS (Global Positioning System) monitoring of individuals deemed by the Courts to merit such scrutiny. The proposed law will be considered by the Kentucky General Assembly in January of 2010.
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Dr. T. K. Logan, Mary Houlihan, & House Attorney Pierce Whites | Mary Houlihan, Director of Victim's Services for the Office of the Fayette Commonwealth's Attorney, and Dr. T. K. Logan, nationally recognized expert in the area of domestic violence research, appeared on the December 4, 2009 episode of American D.A. - LIVEto discuss Stumbo's proposal and other issues surrounding this topic with host Jack Pattie and Fayette Commonwealth's Attorney Ray Larson.
Click here to listen to the program.
Case #2: The Cease-Fire Project - A Program Designed To Prevent Gang And Gun Violence
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Erin Hayne & Brad Bryant | The Cease-Fire Project began in 2001. It is a multi-agency law enforcement prosecutor program designed to investigate and prosecute armed and dangerous criminals who use firearms in the commission of crimes in Fayette County. In the nine years of its existence, the Cease-Fire Project has prosecuted over 1,500 gun-related cases, with a 98% conviction rate.
Cease-Fire Coordinators and prosecutors Brad Bryant and Erin Hayne appeared on the December 11, 2009 episode of American D.A. - LIVE to discuss this aggressive and successful program with host Jack Pattie and Fayette Commonwealth's Attorney Ray Larson.
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| Kentucky's Death Row |
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Kentucky's Death Row Inmate Ralph Baze
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Ralph Baze - then and now. |
Ralph Baze
Male/White, 36-years-old at the time
Victims: Sheriff Steve Bennett & Deputy Arthur Briscoe
Ralph Baze resided in Powell County, Kentucky. He had been convicted twice of felonies and was wanted in Ohio for Assault of a Police Officer, Bail Jumping, Receiving Stolen Property, and Flagrant Nonsupport. On January 15, 1992, the Lucas County Sheriff's Office in Toledo, Ohio, notified the Powell County authorities that they wished to extradite Baze on the felony counts. When Deputy Sheriff Arthur Briscoe arrived at Baze's cabin to arrest him, Baze escaped through a trapdoor, retrieved his SKS assault rifle from behind the cabin, and fled into the woods. Deputy Briscoe left to recruit additional officers to assist in the arrest. He came back, followed by Sheriff Steve Bennett.
Gunfire ensued. Later, Baze testified that Deputy Briscoe had shot him first, striking him in the leg. Baze shot back at the officers. Sheriff Bennett opened the back door of the police cruiser, crossing directly into Baze's line of fire. Baze shot him three times in the back and then started to walk toward Deputy Briscoe, who continued to shoot at Baze over the hood of the cruiser until he ran out of ammunition. Baze was too close to give him time to reload. Deputy Briscoe attempted to escape, but he was shot in the back by Baze, who then approached the injured officer and shot him in the head at point-blank range. Baze then fled on foot to adjoining Estill County where he surrendered without incident that evening. Ralph Baze was tried in Rowan County, convicted, and sentenced to death in February 1994 for shooting the officers.
Additional facts about the case:
Aggravating circumstance which made this case eligible for the Death Penalty: the murder of a sheriff and deputy sheriff, while in the line of duty, and multiple murders. Length of appeal to date: 15 years. Was previously scheduled to be executed in 2007.
This killer wants pen pals. This is part of his webpage request. What a guy!
 "Hi my name is Ralph and I am a Death Row inmate. I am looking for a few pen pals that like to write and maybe help get some of my paper work transferred to computer disk. Trying to work with and through the system is not getting me anywhere so I need to be able to find a voice on the outside of these walls to help me get my story out. Hopefully finding a friend or 2 along the way too. Would like a relationship with the right lady that could be more then Pen pals. Times get lonely in here." |
| Recent Court Case |
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Online Contact Leads To Guilty Plea
Conviction Results in Registration for Sex Offender
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Defendant Jerry Humphries |
In early 2008, a fifteen-year-old boy disclosed that he had been taken to an apartment in the Tates Creek Road area by an older man and subjected to a variety of sexual activity. Investigation by the Crimes Against Children Unit of the Lexington Police Department led to the identification of the suspect as Jerry Humphries, age 54.
Interviews with the suspect and victim revealed that they had met through an adult online website. Examination of telephone records showed contact between the two approximately an hour before the suspect met the victim on the street near his home and drove him back to his apartment. The suspect admitted to initiating the sexual encounter but claimed that the boy told him he was 20 years old.
Humphries, who has no criminal history in Kentucky, pled guilty to Sodomy in the Third Degree and will be sentenced in January of 2010. He is eligible for probation, which may or may not be granted by the Court. A condition of his sentence will be registration as a sex offender. |
| Information Center |
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The Fayette Commonwealth's Attorney's Office Criminal Trial Schedule is updated each Monday. To see our trial schedule, click here.
To see the latest returns, including Indictments, Dismissals and cases Returned to District Court, click on the dates below:
Week of November 30, 2009:
Week of December 7, 2009:
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| 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. |
| Fayette Circuit Court Sentencings |
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Circuit Court Sentencings
Wednesday, November 25, 2009 | |
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8th Division - Judge Thomas L. Clark | |
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MCGHEE, Bobby Tyrone
Age: 35 |
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Sentenced to 12 months in jail for the prosecution's amended charge of Receiving Stolen Property (Misdemeanor), probated 2 years. | |
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RODRIGUEZ, Samuel
Age: 18 |
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Sentenced to 5 years in prison for 2nd degree Assault and 1 year in prison for 1st degree Wanton Endangerment, to run concurrently for a total of 5 years in prison. Sent to prison. | |
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SHELTON, Demetrius Andre
Age: 35 |
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Sentenced to 12 months in jail for the prosecution's amended charge of 2nd degree Stalking, 12 months in jail for 2nd degree Fleeing or Evading the Police, and 12 months in jail for Violation of a Kentucky EPO/DVO, to run concurrently for a total of 12 months in jail. Sent to jail. | |
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| Fayette Circuit Court Sentencings |
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Circuit Court Sentencings
Thursday, December 3, 2009 | |
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7th Division - Judge Ernesto Scorsone | |
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BROOKS, Craig Dwayne
Age: 39 |
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REPEAT OFFENDER: Sentenced to 5 years in prison for 3rd degree Burglary and status as a Persistent Felony Offender and 12 months in jail each for 2 counts of the prosecution's amended charge of 1st degree Criminal Trespass, probated 5 years. | |
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CLAY, Donald Ray
Age: 46 |
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Sentenced to 1 year in prison for Sale/Purchase of Credit/Debit Card From Persons Other, probated 3 years. Ordered to pay $180.95 in restitution. | |
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SMITH, Tonya E.
Age: 38
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Sentenced to 1 year in prison for 1st degree Possession of a Controlled Substance/ Cocaine, probated 5 years. In a separate case, sentenced to 5 years in prison for 2nd degree Assault, both cases to run consecutively for a total of 6 years in prison, probated 5 years. | |
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WRIGHT, Justin Cornelious
Age: 19 |
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Sentenced to 12 months in jail for the prosecution's amended charge of 4th degree Assault. Sent to jail. | |
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Circuit Court Sentencings
Friday, December 4, 2009 | |
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3rd Division - Judge James Ishmael | |
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ALLEN, Corey Ray
Age: 32 |
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Sentenced to 6 months in jail for the prosecution's amended charge of Criminal Attempt Make False Statement to Prevent Reduction of Benefit, probated 1 year. | |
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CORNWELL, Jason Troy
Age: 33 |
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Sentenced to 5 years in prison for Theft by Unlawful Taking and 1 year each for 3 counts of Theft by Unlawful Taking, to run consecutively for a total of 8 years in prison. Sent to prison. Ordered to pay $100,000 in restitution. | |
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MILLS, Steven Michael
Age: 39 |
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Sentenced to 1 year in prison for Theft by Deception, include Cold Checks over $300, probated 5 years. Ordered to pay $4,530 in restitution. | |
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REYNA-ORTIZ, Luciano
Age: 24 |
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ILLEGAL ALIEN: Sentenced to 12 months in jail for Resisting Arrest, conditionally discharged to Immigration Customs Enforcement holder. IMMIGRATION CUSTOMS ENFORCEMENT (ICE) NOTIFIED. | |
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4th Division - Judge Pamela Goodwine | |
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BOYD, Herman JR.
Age: 27
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Sentenced to 12 months in jail for the prosecution's amended charge of 4th degree Assault, probated 2 years. Ordered to pay $5,593.51 in restitution. | |
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CAYSON, Terry Lynn
Age: 20 |
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Sentenced to 1 year in prison for the prosecution's amended charge of 1st degree Possession of a Controlled Substance, 12 months in jail for Leaving the Scene of an Accident, 14 days in jail for Operating a Motor Vehicle under Influence of Alcohol or Drugs, 14 days in jail for Operating on Suspended/Revoked Operator's License, 5 days in jail for Failure of Non-Owner Operator to Maintain Required Insurance, and 14 days in jail for Alcohol Intoxication, to run concurrently for a total of 1 year in prison, license suspension for 12 months, $155 court fine, and probated 5 years. | |
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GODFREY, Dominique Phillip
Age: 19 |
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Sentenced to 12 months in jail for the prosecution's amended charge of Receiving Stolen Property, probated 2 years. | |
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HALL, Laura
Age: 31 |
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Sentenced to 12 months in jail for the prosecution's amended charge of Theft by Deception and 12 months in jail for Falsely Reporting an Incident, to run concurrently for a total of 12 months in jail, probated 2 years. Ordered to pay $1,000 in restitution. | |
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KAYS, Regina
Age: 44 |
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Sentenced to 12 months in jail each for 3 counts of 3rd degree Possession of a Controlled Substance, to run concurrently for a total of 12 months in jail, probated 2 years. | |
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STEWART, Darryl R.
Age: 32 |
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REPEAT OFFENDER: Sentenced to 10 years in prison for 1st degree Trafficking in Cocaine and status as a Persistent Felony Offender and 1 year in prison for Bail Jumping, to run consecutively for a total of 11 years in prison. Sent to prison. | |
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TURNER, Shaunacey Mariea
Age: 22 |
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Sentenced to 12 months in jail for the prosecution's amended charge of Possession of Drug Paraphernalia 1st Offense and 12 months in jail for Endangering the Welfare of a Minor, to run concurrently for a total of 12 months in jail, probated 1 year. | |
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8th Division - Judge Thomas L. Clark | |
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CLOS, Charles Allen
Age: 46 |
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Sentenced to 1 year in prison for Flagrant Non Support, probated 5 years. | |
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CURTIS, Ronald Dean Sr.
Age: 50 |
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Sentenced to 3 years in prison for Trafficking in Marijuana, 8 oz. to < 5 lbs. 1st Offense, probated 4 years. | |
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9th Division - Judge Kimberly Bunnell | |
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JOHNSON, Ebony
Age: 37
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Sentenced to 2 years in prison for 2nd degree Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument, 12 months in jail each for 3 counts of the prosecution's amended charge of Attempt to 2nd degree Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument, and 12 months in jail for the prosecution's amended charge of Attempt to Tampering with Physical Evidence, to run concurrently for a total of 2 years in prison, probated 5 years. | |
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