EKB News

An Ohio man is disputing his arrest in Logan County saying it wasn't him who was caught with marijuana and painkillers - it was his alter ego, "Jake." Logan County Sheriff's deputies have charged 32 year old Curtis Rammage of Columbus Ohio with possession of marijuana as well as several prescription pills such as oxycodone, methadone and Xanax. Rammage was a passenger in a car stopped by police at Chief Logan State Park on Tuesday. Rammage told a magistrate that an alter ego named "Jake" put the drugs in his coffee in an effort to kill him. Rammage said he has a split personality and receives disability benefits because of it. He told police he was in West Virginia to visit his father. He was released from the Southwestern Regional jail after posting a ten-thousand dollar bond.

Two women were killed after an early morning crash in Perry County. 17 year old Tiffany Hall of Topmost, and 28 year old Megan Bradley Franks of Hazard died after being involved in a single-car accident on Ky. 451 in the Christopher community just after midnight according to the Kentucky State Police. Hall, Franks and three others were traveling south on Ky. 451 when the vehicle went off the roadway and the vehicle overturned several times, striking two parked cars. Police are investigating the accident and have not released the identity of the driver. None of the people in the car was wearing a seat belt, according to state police. Alcohol could be a contributing factor in the accident according to the KSP.

Police say a woman wanted on forgery charges died in a car accident in Floyd County. Kentucky Vehicle Enforcement officers say 49-year-old Cassandra Parsley drove off the road in Garrett, hit a guardrail, and went over an embankment. Police say there were warrants for her arrest in Middlesboro. Officers say the investigation into the crash is ongoing, but they don't think alcohol or drugs were a factor.

Frying a turkey can be a fun and tasty alternative to the traditional baked and roasted dishes of the holidays. As many start to plan menus, the Department for Public Health (DPH) wants to remind Kentuckians that fryers also can be dangerous — even causing fires or burns — when not handled with care.
DPH suggests you take time to review basic guidelines so you don’t sacrifice safety for good taste. The first thing you should do is read and follow the manufacturer's instructions and become familiar with your turkey fryer.
The majority of reported incidents occur while the oil is being heated. For this reason, it is very important consumers monitor the temperature of the oil closely.
For list of tips for frying a turkey you can visit the Department for Public Health’s website at http://chfs.ky.gov/dph/

The state’s highest court also ruled today that the method of executing prisoners by lethal injection is not cruel or unusual punishment. The Supreme Court, in an unanimous decision released today, affirmed a July 2005 Franklin Circuit Court ruling that upheld the state’s method of executing prisoners. Ralph Baze and Thomas Clyde Bowling Jr., both convicted double-murderers, challenged the state’s lethal-injection protocol in 2004, saying that it violated their Eighth Amendment right to be free from cruel and unusual punishment. Central to the case, and other cases like it in other states, is whether the three-drug lethal cocktail the state uses for lethal injection is humane.

A doctor accused of helping supply OxyContin and other powerful narcotics to addicts in Appalachia will get a new trial according to a ruling issued by the Kentucky Supreme Court today. Dr. Fortune J. Williams was sentenced to 20 years in prison after a Lewis County jury found him guilty of four counts of unlawfully prescribing medications. Justice William Graves said in a 23-page ruling that detectives violated Williams’s constitutional rights by raiding his medical office without a search warrant. For that reason, the Supreme Court overturned the conviction and ordered a new trial. Federal and state law enforcement agencies began cracking down on wayward physicians in Appalachia in 2000, after OxyContin, a powerful painkiller intended for cancer patients and others suffering from severe pain, began showing up in large quantities on the black market.

A federal, state and local effort to address the problem of out-of-state prescription medications has resulted in federal indictments for 12 individuals and arrest warrants by Operation UNITE for 103 street-level dealers. Yesterday we broke the story of Operation UNITE’s multi County Round-up in which UNITE officials stated that their focus was on prescription medication. Today officials are touting the round-up as a success as 63 people were taken into custody as of yesterday evening. Among those arrested on federal charges were two licensed pharmacists ­ Dan Daffron, owner of the Quick Script Pharmacy in Monticello, and D. Greg Jones of Richmond, who operates Rx Express in Russell, Kentucky, near Ashland. Both face multiple charges of unlawful distribution of controlled narcotics. UNITE targeted street-level dealers in 11 counties on Monday, but officials note that problems exist everywhere. The attempt to arrest street-level dealers began at 8 a.m. from five locations across the Fifth Congressional District. Most of those wanted are believed to have received prescription medications ­ primarily OxyContin, Lortab and Methadone ­ from out-of-state distributors. Several of the cases resulted in arrests for the sale of marijuana.

As the holiday driving season gets underway this week, officials with the states transportation cabinet are touting a decrease in fatalities on Kentucky’s roadways.
“There have been about 75 fewer deaths on Kentucky Roadways in the past year, the lowest fatality rate in the past five years” said Danl Hall Chief district engineer for Highway district 12 who also went on to say that while officials are proud in the drop in fatalities, they want drivers to keep doing the things to help ensure that the fatality rate stays low through this holiday season.
“People have to b e safe and observant, defensive driving, buckle up as always watch out for the other person and drive responsibly and remember during this holiday season be alert and sober; drive alert and arrive alert.” Hall said.
Also if you spot drivers behaving erratically, you are urged to contact your local police department immediately.

A close to six month investigation came to an end on the morning of Monday November 20, as officers with operation UNIITE and several local law enforcement agencies headed out shortly after 7 o’clock to serve warrants on numerous suspected drug dealers.
“UNITE in the big sandy region was looking for a total 22 individuals…in Pike, Floyd, Martin Magoffin Lawrence and Rowen Counties” according to Paul Hayes, deputy director of law enforcement for UNITE who went on to detail the focus of this latest round of investigations.
“We were focusing on picking up those individuals who were dealing in prescription drugs. Many of these prescription drugs are coming from sources within the state, but we also believe that many of these are coming from sources outside the state.”
Hayes was cited as saying that as of around 3 o’clock Monday afternoon they had apprehended 8 of the suspects wanted in yesterday's roundup.
Hayes also stated that individuals who know that there are warrants out for the arrest are urged to cooperate and turn themselves into their local authorities. Once warrants have been served those individuals will enter the court system and often times are offered diverted sentences in exchange for cooperation with other UNITE investigations as well as a commitment to seek treatment for their addiction.
Unite officials have stated that one of their most valued resources is the public, who helps to phone in complaints on people they suspect might be dealing drugs.
“We’re very thankful that we have a lot of individuals within the big sandy region who are providing us information through our tip line complaint source” Hayes said going on to detail UNITE’s thanks for the public support they have received “We are trying to act on every one of those tip line complaints and we really appreciate the support of the community in helping us to do something about this problem.”
Suspects apprehended in today’s roundup only stand accused of committing the crimes alleged and are considered innocent until proven otherwise in a court of law.

Police are asking for citizens to be on the lookout for a Wolfpit man who’s been missing since Friday night. According to family members 58 year old Roy Blackburn made a trip to the Quality Foods Store in the Regina area just past 9:30 on Friday night. Clerks saw Blackburn and have verified that he was there that evening; however Blackburn never made it back to his home. Now police are asking for anyone who may have any information regarding his whereabouts to contact them. Blackburn is described as a white male who stands 5’ 9”, 185 lbs with white hair and glasses. He was last seen driving a black 1986 4 wheel drive S-10 with Georgia plates. Anyone with any information should contact the Kentucky State Police at 433-7711.

A Harlan County man was charged this morning with attempted murder for stabbing his son. About 1:45 a.m., Kentucky State Police got a call about a domestic disturbance in the Cloverlick area of Harlan County. The caller said 51 year old Charles Kenneth Day, stabbed his son 27 year old James Christopher Day. Both men are from Cumberland, police said. Officers found the son lying in the front yard; he had been shot and stabbed. He was taken to Harlan Appalachian Regional Healthcare and later to Holston Valley Medical Center in Kingsport, Tennessee according to police said. The father was taken to Harlan County jail on charges of attempted murder and tampering with evidence and the incident remains under investigation by the Kentucky State Police.