EKB News

A Shelbiana man is behind bars after being arrested for allegedly raping a woman. 45 year old Jonathan Adkins was charged with Rape 1st degree after a criminal complaint was filed by the victim this week. According to the arrest warrant Adkins allegedly held a gun to the woman’s head and forced her to engage in sexual activity sometime in late May. Adkins is being held on a $100,000 full cash bond and is scheduled to be arraigned in front of Pike County District Judge Darrell Mullins on Monday.

State Senator Johnny Ray Turner is still in legal trouble despite seeing one of the charges against him dismissed. 56 year old Turner (D-Drift), a two term Senator and his cousin and campaign manager, 52 year old Glenn Turner, of Pikeville, were indicted last year on charges of mail fraud and vote-fraud conspiracy in connection with a 2000 victory over former state Sen. Benny Ray Bailey. The U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in Turner’s favor in August stating that a federal mail-fraud statute cannot be used to prosecute vote fraud. And now a federal grand jury in Lexington has revised its indictment against the two-term incumbent. The mail fraud charge against the Turners was dropped this week, but both are still charged with one count each of conspiring to buy votes in 2000 by laundering illegal campaign contributions provided by the late Ross Harris of Pikeville.

A single vehicle wreck yesterday afternoon had traffic backed up for some time and resulted in the death of a Letcher County Man. According to dispatchers with the Kentucky State Police, the accident only involved one vehicle near the mouth of Long Fork on KY RT 632. 46 year old Timmoothy Isaac of Cromona was pronounced dead by the Pike County Cononer's office after the flat bed truck he was driving went over the hillside . The wreck remains under investigation by the Kentucky State Police.

For months democrats have stated that candidates for next years Governors race would begin to emerge after this years midterm. While we may not know officially for months who will make a bid for the governorship of the commonwealth several high profile democrats have spoken on the possibility.
• Attorney General Greg Stumbo said he's writing questions now for a poll to test on how he'd do in a Democratic primary and against Republican Gov. Ernie Fletcher. He has said he will decide whether he is running by Dec. 1.
• Louisville Mayor Jerry Abramson, who won re-election by a margin of more than 2-1 Tuesday, said he's considering it and "will make a decision in the next 10 days or so."
• House Speaker Jody Richards said "people call me about every day" about seeking the office again as he did in 2003.
Throw in others, who have previously expressed interest -- auditor Crit Luallen, former Gov. Brereton Jones, former Lt. Gov. Steve Henry, Louisville businessman Charlie Owen and Lexington attorney Gatewood Galbraith --and it looks like democrats will have a crowded field to choose from come the primary.

Media reports have surfaced stating that much of Kentucky's influence on Capitol Hill may have washed away with the Democratic tide that knocked Republicans out of power in both chambers of Congress.
GOP Majority Whip Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Louisville, conceded yesterday that the title of Senate Majority Leader has probably slipped from his grasp barring the unlikely event that a recount in Virginia changes the outcome of the Senator’s race.
Also possibly hurting the states influence is Representative Anne Northup’s defeat Tuesday, as she held a coveted seat on the House Appropriations Committee. Her replacement, Democrat John Yarmuth, isn't likely to get similar treatment. Also lost are a host of committee or subcommittee chairmanships held by the state's five other Republican lawmakers in Washington.
Last month, Kentucky was the 11th most influential state in the nation's capital, according to one group of independent analysts. Not anymore, said Brad Fitch, CEO of the company which runs Congress.org.
According to the Web site's 2006 Power Rankings, which weigh such factors as influence on fellow members of Congress, committee assignments, tenure, legislative activity and media attention, McConnell had the state's top power score and ranked as the fourth most powerful person in the Senate.

A man who was able to escape from police yesterday morning appeared in court this morning in Pike County. Paul J. Young, 19, of Island Creek was originally apprehended yesterday morning and charged with two counts each of theft by unlawful taking over $300 and criminal mischief 1st degree. The Pikeville Police Department was investigating a call of vehicles being broken into at the Riverside Inn and arrested Young. After Young was placed in the back of the police car he was somehow able to gain control of the vehicle and flee the scene. Officers located the heavily damaged cruiser on an old logging road. Young was also allegedly able to steal a shotgun from inside the cruiser. Young was apprehended again, leading to him making threats against the arresting officer. After the alleged threats, Young, once again, was able to escape by jumping out of the cruiser and over a bridge, where officers from the Pike County Sheriffs Department and Kentucky Vehicle Enforcement apprehended him a short time later. Young appeared this morning in Pike District Court on charges of terroristic threatening, two counts of escape, two counts of fleeing, two counts of wanton endangerment, one count of resisting arrest, and two more counts of theft by unlawful taking. A not guilty plea was entered for Young and a preliminary hearing was set for November 16th. He remains lodged at the Pike County Detention Center on multiple full cash bonds totaling over $12,000.

A Delbarton woman was taken into custody earlier this afternoon after causing a disruption at the Pike County Hall of Justice. 25 year old Angela Underwood was in the clerk’s office on the 3rd floor of the Hall of Justice when she allegedly started causing a disruption and cursing the workers. A Deputy then asked the woman to calm down and she became even more agitated. She was taken into custody where a search allegedly uncovered prescription narcotics. Underwood was lodged in the Pike County Detention Center on charges of disorderly conduct, two counts of possession of a controlled substance 3rd degree and prescription not in its proper container. She will be arraigned tomorrow morning in Pike District Court.

A single vehicle accident on KY RT 632 near the mouth of Long Fork at Kimper has resulted in a fatality. Kentucky State Police dispatchers would only confirm that a fatality had occured and that traffic had been disrupted, other details were not made available. Information on the crash is still sketchy, although East Kentucky Broadcasting News has learned that the vehicle went over the embankment. The wreck remains under investigation by the Kentucky State Police and an update will follow as soon as more information becomes available.

A Greasy Creek man amassed a long list of charges after running an officer off the road Sunday afternoon. According to the arrest citation, a Kentucky Vehicle Enforcement officer was traveling on KY Route 122, assisting the Pikeville Police Department in a pursuit, when another vehicle ran him off the road. Once the KVE officer initiated a pursuit, 31 year old Chad E. McPeek allegedly sped up, drove into a residential area, stopped and fled his vehicle. After a short foot chase the officer was able to apprehend McPeek. He was taken to the Pike County Detention Center and charged with operating a motor vehicle under the influence, fleeing 1st degree, wanton endangerment 1st degree and several traffic related violations. McPeek is being held without bond and is scheduled for a hearing November 9th.

An Elkhorn man was apprehended Saturday after a warrant was issued alleging that he held another man against his will. According to the warrant, 21 year old William Adkins allegedly hit another man several times with a baseball bat, held him at gun point, made him strip down naked and then forced him into the back of his truck. According to the arrest citation, the gun that Adkins had in his possession had been reported stolen to the Kentucky State Police. Adkins was lodged at the Pike County Detention Center on a $5,000 cash or property bond on charges of assault 2nd degree, wanton endangerment 1st degree, unlawful imprisonment 1st degree and receiving stolen property.

Most of the fatalities in the nation's coal mines in the last decade resulted from mine operators failure to comply with safety rules, according to an analysis by the Charleston Sunday Gazette-Mail. The newspaper examined Federal records of the deaths of 320 coal miners in 297 accidents nationwide between 1996 and 2005. Nearly nine out of 10 fatalities could have been avoided if mine operators had complied with safety rules, the newspaper reported Sunday. Mine operators failed to perform, or incorrectly performed, required safety checks in nearly one-fourth of the mining deaths during the period. Twenty-one percent of the fatalities resulted from violations of roof control, mine ventilation or other required safety plans.

A coal miner has lost his life in an accident inside a Pike County mine. The accident occured at approximately 1:30 p.m. Saturday at the McCoy Elkhorn No. 23 mine.
The victim has been identified as Tony Swiney, 44, a section foreman.
The Kentucky Office of Mine Safety and Licensing is investigating the accident. In keeping with procedure, the mine has been closed until the investigation is completed. The initial indication is that Swiney was struck in the head by a large plug at the end of an electrical cable being dragged behind a motorized coal scoop. The plug end was wrapped around a support pole of the scoop canopy and appears to have become snagged, the plug end whipped loose from the pole, and the victim was struck in the head. He was conscious when brought out of the mine but died enroute to a hospital.
"I want to express sincere sympathy to the friends and family of Mr. Swieney," Governor Ernie Fletcher stated. "Coal mining is part of our heritage and our economy, but this accident underscores the fact that mining has many hazards. That’s why we are determined to keep working to improve mine safety."