WULF News

The Kentucky State Police Electronic Crime Branch succeeded in making an arrest earlier this week. Billy Joe Chesser was charged for his alleged crimes against minors. Chesser was arrested as a result of an undercover online crimes against children investigation, and faces ten counts for use of a minor in a sexual performance. The charges facing Chesser could result in ten to twenty years in prison if he is convicted. He is lodged in the Hardin County Detention Center.

Two Elizabethtown men have been arrested for their roles in a Radcliff shooting. According to arrest citations, Jordan Morgan and one other assailant were allegedly threatening the use of handguns to commit a robbery. However, the other suspect was shot several times by Paris Bell, who later admitted to discharging the firearm. Projectiles from the weapon were also found to have entered a residence located on Hamilton Street. Morgan is charged with robbery, and Bell is being charged with assault and wanton endangerment. The third party was flown to U of L Hospital with critical injuries. The investigation is ongoing.

Kentucky State Police launched a campaign earlier this week that will crack down on aggressive drivers in high crash areas. The Ticketing Aggressive Cars and Trucks (TACT) campaign began on Tuesday. Targeted corridors for this campaign include US-41 in Henderson County, I-75 in Laurel and Kenton Counties, US-23 in Floyd County, and I-65 in Hardin County.

At a meeting of the Elizabethtown City Council, a municipal order was passed to allow for improvements to the sidewalks of an Elizabethtown street. The council received and accepted a bid from Triumph Landscape Construction for sidewalk improvements in the amount of $178,588. The bid came in under the $200,000 appropriated for the project.

The 48^th Annual Lincoln Days Festival will be taking place in Downtown Hodgenville this weekend. The festivities start on Friday evening with the Lincoln Days Festival Pageant. More information can be found at lincolndays.org.

The Kentucky Department of Education has release assessment data for the state. This data comes from exams taken near the end of the 2018-2019 school year, and Hardin County Schools showed improvement in their results. Lincoln Trail Elementary ranked as a four-star school in the results, and no schools in the district were placed in the “Support and Improvement” categories.

Kentucky State Police Post Four has released the identity of a man who died as a result of a collision on Interstate 65 last week after an accident earlier in the morning caused a massive traffic backup. Trooper Scotty Sharp reports Michael Williams was operating a pickup truck when he failed to see a stopped FedEx semi-truck in front of him, colliding with the rear of the vehicle. Williams was pronounced dead at the scene by the Hardin County Coroner. I-65 was shut down for nearly twelve hours to allow troopers to reconstruct the collisions. The investigation is ongoing.

The Elizabethtown City Council presented an ordinance relating to alcoholic beverage control at a special meeting of the council on Monday. This ordinance makes clear that alcohol consumption areas must be clearly marked, must not be in a parking area, and must have clear boundaries. The council had previously discussed the specifics of how alcohol would be sold at events and parks, but this was the first reading of this particular ordinance.

An act of kindness was displayed Friday night at the John Hardin High School homecoming game. After being crowned Homecoming King, Yukiah “Yuki” Reyes refused the title, and awarded it to fellow student Matthew Riddle, who Reyes calls “a light at the end of the tunnel”. Matthew is a student with Downs Syndrome, and was very excited to be given the title.

Attorney General Andy Beshear held a press conference yesterday to announce that changes would be made to the Sexual Assault Cold Case Unit that will further aid sexual assault victims. The Attorney General announced yesterday that $1.4 million is being put towards the cold case unit from the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Assistance in order to expand the division, and better aid sexual assault victims. The cold case unit was established in 2017 after the Attorney General’s office, in conjunction with the University of Louisville and Kentucky State Police, received $3 million from the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Assistance under the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative.

Visitation for Chris Hulsey, the Meade County Sheriff’s Deputy killed in the line of duty, will be held today from noon to 8 PM at Hager Funeral Home. Tomorrow, the funeral service itself will be held at 1 PM in the Meade County High School Gymnasium. As previously reported, Hulsey died shortly after a fight with 50-year-old Terry Gonterman while searching a property in Payneville.

The Radcliff Police Department arrested a couple after allegations of criminal child abuse were brought forward. According to arrest records, police were made aware by a 6-year-old girl about injuries she had allegedly sustained due to discipline over school work by Perenise Worden. Additionally, Joshua Wordern, the girl’s father, intentionally struck the girl with a wooden back scratcher, leaving an imprint on girl’s back, along with other bruising and swelling. The suspects neglected to seek medical attention for the juvenile. The two were taken in for criminal abuse of a child 12 or under.

The Rineyville Days Festival will be taking place tonight and tomorrow at Rineyville Community Park. The fun starts at 6 PM with the kickoff, featuring food, inflatables, the baby contest, and fireworks. Then, on Saturday, there will be a pancake breakfast from 7 to 9 AM followed by a parade at 10. Other attractions on Saturday include the car show at the park. More information can be found on the Rineyville Days Facebook page.

The Elizabethtown City Council amended and addressed new policies for alcohol sale and consumption at public facilities, parks, and events in downtown Elizabethtown at a City Council Meeting on Monday. Facilities such as Pritchard Community Center will have their own sets of requirements in order to serve alcohol, while the State Theater, which is owned and operated by the city, will decide their own criteria. Alcohol can be sold and consumed at the Elizabethtown Sports Park for non-youth events as long as city and state laws are followed, as well as at Freeman Lake during festivals and other events. As for Downtown Events, a lot of the same rules apply in terms of liability insurance requirements. No glass bottles are allowed in designated areas, with only non-breakable cups, bottles, or other containers being permitted. Designated areas must be clearly marked, and areas marked as “kids zones” will not allow alcohol at all. Businesses with existing licenses can sell their own alcohol, but it cannot leave the premises of the business. The designated area can be altered by officials if needed.

With help from private and public contributions, the William Thomason byways, right of way in Leitchfield will be accomplished sooner than expected. The schedule for the project has been trimmed down by six months. The byway will connect U.S. 62 and KY 54 to KY 259 and the Western Kentucky Parkway, allowing trucks to avoid the downtown’s tight turns.

A Louisville man and two juveniles have been charged in connection with multiple thefts from unlocked vehicles in Leitchfield. Money, loose change, two purses, a wallet, and a handgun were some of the items reported to have been taken in the early morning hours of September 4^th. 20-year-old Joshua Grubbs has been charged with theft by unlawful taking, multiple counts of unlawful transaction with a minor, and nine counts of criminal trespass. The two juveniles also received charges of theft by unlawful taking and criminal trespass. Breckinridge County is also charging all three with multiple charges. The investigation is ongoing.

The Flaget Memorial Hospital Foundation recognized some employees of Flaget Hospital last week, presenting them with the 2019 Bruce A. Klockars Employee Scholarship Award. Twelve scholarships were given out in a variety of different areas. The fund was established in 2011 by Flaget Hospital employees to honor Bruce Klockars, who served eleven years as president of the hospital.

Nolin RECC will be hosting the 15^th Annual Lineman’s Rodeo this week. The event will feature the best lineworkers from around the state to compete in traditional lineman tasks and skills. The action begins at the Hardin County Fairgrounds on Thursday September 26^th at 9 AM, and continues Friday, with a lineman memorial at 7:30 AM, and team competition starting at 8:30.

A new downtown building is in the process of being built where Newberry’s once stood. A beam signing for the new structure took place Friday afternoon. The new building will feature a restaurant, bar, and residential property.

The Elizabethtown Fire Department responded to a call of smoke at a business over the weekend. According to Deputy Fire Chief Everett Roberts, officials responded to El Tapatio Mexican Restaurant on Saturday after a call from a neighboring business regarding the smell of smoke before the business opened. Upon investigation, it was discovered that there was a pot of beans left cooking on the stove. The scene was cleared in about an hour after the stove was turned off.

The Kentucky Court of Appeals issued a unanimous decision that proper procedure was followed in the sale of Hardin Memorial Health assets to Baptist Health. The court ruled that Dr. Larry Hall, who made the appeal, lacked necessary standing and had “absolutely no evidence” that the process used was done in secret. Under the terms of the proposed partnership, Baptist Health would acquire all assets of HMH, and in return, would commit $235 million over a ten year period to HMH in operating and capital investments.

Bluegrass Cellular is accepting nominations for its revamped Battles in the Bluegrass program. The winner this year will receive a $5,000 prize with the “technology gift”. Nominations can be made by visiting bluegrasscellular.com/battles, and are due by midnight on September 26^th.

The Elizabethtown Police Department has responded to questions regarding fundraising phone calls and letters from the American Police Officers Alliance. Officer John Thomas says this organization is not charitable, and appears to be a political organization with no law enforcement affiliation. This serves as a reminder to be wary of unfamiliar organizations soliciting donations. Solicitations such as this tend to see an increase during the holiday season.