A WRECK INVOLVING A HORSE AND BUGGY WITHOUT A SLOW MOVING SIGN OR REFLECTORS CLAIMED THE LIFE OF A YOUNG AMISH MAN LAST NIGHT IN HART COUNTY.

            THE INCIDENT HAPPENED AROUND 5 O’CLOCK, ACCORDING TO THE REPORT FROM STATE POLICE IN BOWLING GREEN, WHICH SAYS 44-YEAR OLD MICHAEL RIGGS OF HORSE CAVE WAS WESTBOUND ON KENTUCKY 728 WHEN HE STRUCK A HORSE AND BUGGY OPERATED BY 18-YEAR OLD AARON BYLER IN THE REAR.

            RIGGS LIKELY COULDN’T SEE THE BUGGY UNTIL IT WAS TOO LATE BECAUSE IT HAD NO REFLECTORS OR SIGN. BYLER WAS TAKEN BY HELICOPTER TO A LOUISVILLE HOSPITAL, WHERE HE DIED FROM HIS INJURIES.

            RIGGS WAS TREATED AND RELEASED FROM CAVERNA MEMORIAL HOSPITAL. AT LEAST THREE COUNTIES IN KENTUCKY HAVE PASSED LAWS REQUIRING A SLOW MOVING VENICLE SIGN IN RECENT MONTHS, THOUGH SOME AMISH SECTS SAY THE SIGNS VIOLATE THEIR REGLIOUS PRINCIPLES.

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11/18/2011/AM

Todd Fiscal Court met in the old courthouse on the Historic Elkton Square.

           TODD COUNTY FISCAL COURT HAS OFFICIALLY CLOSED THE BOOK ON THE FORMER SHERIFF BILLY STOKES’ ERA AFTER A STATE AUDIT FROM 2010 CAME BACK RELATIVELY CLEAN.

            THE ONLY REAL PROBLEM FOUND IN THE AUDIT WAS 25 HUNDRED DOLLARS SPENT ON FINES AND PENALTIES FROM THE DONATIONS ACCOUNT BY FORMER SHERIFF STOKES.

            FISCAL COURT CHOSE TO TAKE NO ACTION ON THAT MATTER SINCE IT WAS NOT FROM A TAXPAYER ACCOUNT AND THE STATE NOT REQUIRING ANY ACTION.

            JUDGE EXECUTIVE DARYL GREENFIELD SAID HE AND EVERYONE INVOLVED ARE EXTREMELY PLEASED TO MOVE AWAY FROM AN ISSUE THAT’S BEEN ANYTHING BUT POSITIVE FOR TODD COUNTY.

            THE COUNTY RECENTLY SETTLED WITH THE FORMER SHERIFF ON TAXPAYER FUNDS FROM 2009 THAT WERE MIS-SPENT ON FINES AND PENALTIES AND THERE WAS SOME FEAR THIS AUDIT WOULD BE MORE OF THE SAME.

            IN OTHER NEWS FROM THE MEETING, DISTPATCH DIRECTOR DONNA RUBY SAID MEDIA-COM CALLED HER TWO DAYS AFTER THE LAST FISCAL COURT MEETING REGARDING INTERFERENCE WITH THE COUNTY RADIO SYSTEM.

            AS PREVIOUSLY REPORTED, MEDIA-COM WAS UTLIZING DEVICES WHICH BROADCAST ON THE SAME FREQUENCY AS LOCAL FIRE DEPARTMENTS, BUT MS. RUBY SAYS THAT WAS QUICKLY FIXED.

            MS. RUBY SAID SHE WAS THANKFUL TO AVOID A DRAWN OUT PROCESS OF GOING THROUGH LEGAL CHANNELS TO GET THE ACTIVITY TO STOP. AN AUDIT WAS UNDERWAY IN THE NORMAL MEETING ROOM, SO COURT MET IN THE OLD COURTHOUSE ON THE HISTORIC ELKTON SQUARE.

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11/18/20101/AM

            MORE DETAILS ARE NOW AVAILABLE ON THE ARREST OF A HOPKINSVILLE POLICE OFFICER THURSDAY EVENING ON DUI CHARGES.

            THE ARREST CARD FROM THE SHERIFF’S OFFICE SAYS A CALL CAME INTO THE ECC AROUND 5:30 REGARDING A RECKLESS DRIVER ON THE BYPASS IN THE AREA OF THE YMCA.

            WHEN DEPUTY BRANDON MYERS MADE CONTACT WITH THE VEHICLE JUST WEST OF H AND R AGRI-POWER, 35-YEAR OLD HPD OFFICER TIMOTHY LEYENAAR WAS ALLEGEDLY SWERVING ACROSS THE WHITE LINE MULTIPLE TIMES.

            DEPUTY MYERS WRITES LEYENAAR HAD AN ODOR OF ALCOHOL ON HIS PERSON AND SHOWED SIGNS OF IMPAIRMENT ON FIELD SOBRIETY TESTS.

            LEYENAAR BLEW A .194 ON THE BREATH TEST—OVER DOUBLE THE LEGAL LIMIT. LEYENAAR WAS SUSPENDED BY HOPKINSVILLE POLICE CHIEF GUY HOWIE, WHO PRAISED THE DEPUTY FOR HIS ACTIONS IN THE TRAFFIC STOP AND ARREST.

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11/18/2011/AM

            HOPKINSVILLE POLICE ARE INVESTIGATING A POSSIBLE ARSON CASE INVOLVING TWO VEHICLES FROM THIS MORNING.

            THE INCIDENT HAPPENED AT “THE PARK” APARTMENT COMPLEX LOCATED AT 400 HICKORY RIDGE CIRCLE OFF COUNTRY CLUB LANE AROUND FIFTEEN MINUTES AFTER 2 O’CLOCK.

            THE ENTIRE NARRATIVE WRITTEN BY POLICE SAYS “POLICE WERE SUMMONED BY A RESIDENT AT THE INCIDENT LOCATION WHO SAID THERE WAS A CAR ON FIRE.”

            THE OWNERS OF THE VEHICLES ARE LISTED AS 27-YEAR OLD JOHN MURPHY OF HOPKINSVILLE AND 25-YEAR OLD TIMOTHY SMITH OF HOPKINSVILLE. NO SUSPECTS ARE LISTED ON THE REPORT, WITH THE FIRES DOING $3,000 WORTH OF DAMAGE TO A 1991 CAMARO AND NEARLY $21,000 WORTH TO A 2012 TOYTA 4-RUNNER.

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11/18/2011/AM

AMY DYE

            ANOTHER STATE LEGISLATURE COMMITTEE INTENDS TO HOLD A HEARING ON THE TODD COUNTY AMY DYE MURDER CASE.

            THE LEXINGTON HERALD LEADER REPORTS STATE REPRESENTATIVE TOM BURCH AND SENATOR JULIE DENTON HAVE EXPRESSED INTENTIONS TO HOLD A HEARING NEXT MONTH ON HOW CHILD DEATHS AND NEAR DEATHS ARE REPORTED.

            BURCH AND MS. DENTON CO-CHAIR THE INTERIM JOINT COMMITTEE ON HEALTH AND WELFARE AND SAY THEY ARE ONLY WAITING ON APPROVAL FROM HOUSE AND SENATE LEADERS TO SCHEDULE THE MEETING.

            THE ISSUE AROSE AFTER A FRANKLIN CIRCUIT COURT JUDGE WROTE A SCATHING REPORT OF HOW THE STATE TREATED RECORDS REGARDING THE ALLEGED NEGLECT AND ABUSE OF 9-YEAR OLD AMY DYE, WHO WAS MURDERED BY HER ADOPTED BROTHER 18-YEAR OLD GARRETT DYE ON FEBRUARY 4^TH NEAR THEIR DOGWOOD ROAD HOME IN THE TRENTON AREA.

            THE TODD COUNTY STANDARD REPORTED THIS WEEK ON SEVERAL DOCUMENTS OBTAINED THROUGH THE JUDGE’S RULING THAT APPEAR TO SHOW AN EFFORT TO COVER UP THE HEALTH AND FAMILY SERVICES AGENCY’S INVOLVEMENT WITH THE DYE FAMILY FOLLOWING THE MURDER.

            THE CABINET, TIME AFTER TIME, ATTEMPTED TO SAY THAT THERE WAS NO DEATH INVESTIGATION BY THEIR AGENCY SINCE IT WAS A SIBLING ON SIBLING ATTACK.

            GARRETT DYE WILL APPEAR IN TODD CIRCUIT COURT WEDNESDAY MORNIGN FOR FORMAL SENTENCING, WHERE HE IS EXPECTED TO GET 50 YEARS FOR MURDER AND BE ELIGIBLE FOR PAROLE IN 20 YEARS.

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11/18/2011/AM