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Nelson County man arrested after alleged assault of officer

94.3 The Wolf

A Nelson County man faces charges after allegedly assaulting an officer when attempting to flee a traffic stop. 

Dustin M. Thompson of New Hope faces multiple charges including Strangulation, Assault of a Police Officer, and Disarming a Peace Officer following his arrest Friday.

According to the Kentucky State Police, shortly after midnight on June 7 a trooper attempted to conduct a traffic stop on a vehicle on Charlestown Road for a traffic violation. The KSP says the driver of the vehicle did not stop when the trooper activated his emergency lights and began to flee.

The pursuit continued into Marion County on Sulphur Lick Road and ended when the vehicles reached a dead end. The KSP says the driver, later identified as Thompson, exited the vehicle and fled into a wooded area. The pursuing trooper was able to catch up to Thompson, at which time the KSP says he assaulted the officer and fled the area.

Troopers and other area law enforcement began searching the area for Thompson. The KSP posted on Facebook shortly before noon Friday that Thompson had been apprehended. He was booked into the Marion County Detention Center at 1:41 p.m. Friday.

The KSP says the trooper was treated for injuries at an area hospital and has since been released.

Three arrested on drug charges in Grayson County

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Three people are in custody and a dog is in a shelter after an incident in Grayson County.

John D. Absher of Bunker Hill, Indiana, Casey M. Lester of Tollesboro, and Richard W. May of Harold each face charges of first degree Possession of a Controlled Substance, and Absher and Lester had multiple warrants out for their arrests.

According to the Grayson County Sheriff’s Office, shortly after 8 a.m. on June 6 Sheriff Norman Chaffins responded to a report of two people sleeping in the backseat of a car that was parked in the middle of U.S. 62 in Clarkson in front of the beekeeping facility, with a dog in the front seat. The occupants were awakened by the dog barking as the sheriff approached. The two occupants, later identified as Absher and Lester, provided names or identification the sheriff’s office later determined to be false.

May then approached the vehicle with a gallon of gas, stating that the vehicle was in the middle of the road after it ran out of gas. The sheriff’s office says May then began vomiting in the roadway, at which time Absher collapsed due to a seizure. Lester told Chaffins she believed Absher had used opioids earlier that morning. Chaffins administered naloxone and Grayson County EMS transported Absher to Owensboro Health Twin Lakes Hospital. He was later transported to Norton’s Hospital in Louisville. A search of the vehicle revealed the presence of methamphetamine.

Lester and May were lodged in the Grayson County Detention Center. Absher was moved to the detention center from the hospital after he was medically cleared to be incarcerated. The dog was transported to the Grayson County Animal Shelter.

Voter registration, and voter roll maintenance, continues ahead of November election

94.3 The Wolf

Registration is open to vote in the November 5 general election, and Hardin County Clerk Brian D. Smith says getting registered is a simple process.

“Registering to vote has never been easier,” Smith said. “The quickest and easiest way for most. folks would be to visit govote.ky.gov. They can do that on the computer or their phone and they can register to vote that way. They can also call or visit their county clerk’s office. The deadline to register to vote and participate in the November election is October 7, so don’t wait until the deadline. Go ahead and get it done early.”

The Kentucky Secretary of State’s Office says in the 10 days voter registration was open in May after the primary election, 5,723 voters were removed from the voter rolls. More than 4,800 removed voters were deceased, 451 moved out of state, and 350 were convicted of felonies.

5,496 new voters got registered in May. Republican registration increased by 1,410 voters and independent or other registrations increased by 915. Democratic registrations decreased by 2,552 voters.

Visit the Kentucky Secretary of State’s website for more information on voter registration.

EPD hosting Teen Citizens Police Academy

94.3 The Wolf

Registration is still open for the Elizabethtown Police Department’s upcoming Teen Citizen’s Police Academy.

“Beginning July 2, we are hosting our next Teen Citizen Police Academy,” said EPD Public Information Officer Chris Denham. “This free five-week program is for any teen interested in learning more about a career in law enforcement and our police department.”

The Teen Citizen’s Police Academy is free for area teens ages 13 to 18. In addition to getting to meet many of the men and women that serve on the EPD, participants will learn about investigations, tactics, responses to resistance, drug enforcement, accident reconstruction, local issues, and more.

Anybody interested in applying may download an application at etownpd.org.

Drug overdose deaths decrease in Kentucky, Hardin County

94.3 The Wolf

Kentucky was one of only eight states that saw a decrease in the number of drug overdose deaths last year.

The governor’s office has released information on the 2023 Kentucky Drug Overdose Fatality Report, which reported 1,984 overdose deaths last year, down 9.8 percent from 2022 and the second year in a row the state has seen a decrease.

Lincoln Trail District Health Department Harm Reduction Manager Jennifer Osborne said progress was also seen in Hardin County.

“It was 50 in 2022 and in 2023 it was 38, so that is a significant decrease for Hardin County, and that is something definitely to celebrate as far as the decrease goes,” Osborne said. “Obviously 38 individuals who die from a preventable death, which is a fatal drug overdose, that means we still have work to do. That’s 38 too many.”

Osborne said increased access to naloxone, which is used to reverse the effects of an overdose, was one of the health department’s major initiatives at combating overdose deaths. The health department also partnered with the Hardin County Coroner’s Office to establish an Overdose Fatality Review Team which looks at similarities between fatal overdoses and brings in multiple community resources to review the details.

“That’s everybody from treatment programs to our healthcare system to law enforcement, the justice system,” Osborne said. “It’s all of these individuals and agencies coming together to look and see if there are any gaps? Is there any way for us to improve upon services so that we can reduce the number of people that are dying from a drug overdose?”

Osborne says the county is still looking at establishing an overdose quick response team and a syringe service program, both of which were recommended when the county was designated a Recovery Ready Community this past January. Area residents looking for recovery resources can go online to findhelpnowky.org or contact the KY Help Call Center at 1-833-859-4357.

The full overdose fatality report can be found on the governor’s website.

U.S. 31W roadwork begins Monday in Radcliff

94.3 The Wolf

Drivers should be on the lookout for work on U.S. 31W in Radcliff set to begin next week.

Kentucky Transportation Cabinet District Four says a pavement rehabilitation project is scheduled to begin Monday between West Lincoln Trail Boulevard and the Kentucky Veterans Cemetery. The project will include removal and replacement of the road surface and improved turn lane configuration with striping.

The KYTC says crews will be setting up varying traffic patterns around work crew operations. The most significant work is being moved to nighttime hours to minimize traffic impacts, but drivers should still be cautious approaching and traveling through work zones.

Work is scheduled to be completed by October 1. Follow KYTC District Four on social media for project updates.

28th annual Children’s Fair Saturday

94.3 The Wolf

Quicksie and The Wolf, along with the Heart of Kentucky Association of Realtors, are excited to invite the community out to Freeman Lake Park this Saturday for the 28th annual Children’s Fair.

“It’s so wonderful because it’s all free,” said realtor Lydia Drexler, who co-founded the Children’s Fair with Quicksie co-founder Maryilyn Evans. “Everything is free. The booths are free for people to come in, and every sponsor that we have has something free for all the children from ages 1 to 12.”

More than 50 community businesses and organizations will be participating. The Children’s Fair features games, face painting, balloon art, and a bicycle giveaway. Mascot Idol will also be held featuring a variety of characters including DJ Tiger and Wolfie.

“We’re very excited for the community,” Drexler said. “We have Mickey and Minnie Mouse, they will be there. We have many mascots, and we just want you to come out and check them all out.”

The Children’s Fair will be held Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Ernie Williams Pavilion at Freeman Lake Park. Parking is free.

Campbellsville University murder suspect due back in court in July

94.3 The Wolf

The suspect in the February murder of a Campbellsville University student remains incarcerated as he awaits trial.

A grand jury in April indicted Charles E. “Zeke” Escalera on charges of Murder and third degree Burglary along with second degree charges of Burglary and Fleeing or Evading Police.

Escalera is accused of murdering Campbellsville University freshman Josiah Kilman in his dorm room at the university. Kilman was found unresponsive shortly after midnight on February 24 before being pronounced dead at Taylor Regional Hospital.

During an arraignment hearing in May, Escalera was appointed a public defender. Not guilty pleas were entered on his behalf.

During a preliminary hearing on March 6, Campbellsville Police Department Detective Jeremy Burton said surveillance footage at the dorm shows Escalera entering and exiting the building. Burton said when questioned by police after his capture Escalera admitted to taking a life.

Escalera is currently being held in the Taylor County Detention Center on a $1 million cash bond. His next scheduled court appearance is a pre-trial conference set for July 9.