STATE REPRESENTATIVE AND HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN JOHN TILLEY SAYS IT WAS A SYSTEMATIC FAILURE THAT KEPT 9-YEAR OLD AMY DYE OF TODD COUNTY IN A HOME WHERE SHE WAS EVENTUALLY MURDERED BY HER 17-YEAR OLD BROTHER GARRETT IN FEBRUARY.

            A RECENT RULING BY A FRANKLIN CIRCUIT COURT JUDGE MADE DOCUMENTS PUBLIC WHICH DETAIL YEARS OF ALLEGED ABUSE AGAINST THE GIRL, WHO WAS ADOPTED BY HER GREAT AUNT KIMBERLY DYE OF DOGWOOD ROAD NEAR TRENTON. SHE LIVED THERE WITH KIMBERLY, KIMBERLY’S HUSBAND CRIS, GARRETT AND ANOTHER OLDER BROTHER WHO IS ALSO ACCUSED OF ABUSE.

            SOUTH TODD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS AND TEACHERS REPORTED WHAT THEY BELIEVED TO BE AN ABUSIVE HOME SEVERAL TIMES TO THE REGIONAL OFFICE OF THE HEALTH AND FAMILY SERVICES CABINET, BUT WERE OFTEN TOLD NOTHING COULD BE DONE WHEN IT CAME TO SIBLING ON SIBLING ABUSE.

            INTERVIEWED ON HIS WAY TO FRANKFORT, REPRESENTATIVE TILLEY SAID BEING A SIBLING DOESN’T EXEMPT ONE FROM THE LAW.          

            “THE LAW COVERS EVERYTHING, CERTAINLY ANY OF THE CONDUCT IS ALREADY LEGAL THAT OCURRED. IT’S EITHER ASSAULT, ASSAULT IN THE FOURTH (DEGREE), ALL THE WAY UP TO ALL OF THE FELONY ASSAULTS, ALL THE WAY UP TO MURDER. SO THERE’S NOTHING WE CAN DO TO STRENGTHEN THAT END OF IT, BUT WE CAN ON THE CABINET SIDE AND THE ADMINISTRATIVE SIDE WITH RECORDS.”

            THE CHAIRMAN BELIEVES THERE WILL BE MORE OF A PUSH THIS YEAR TO MAKE THE CABINET BE MORE OPEN WITH ITS BUSINESS AFTER THIS CASE.

            TILLEY SAYS IF CABINET OFFICIALS FEEL HESITANT ABOUT INVESTIGATING SIBLING ON SIBLING ABUSE, THE COMMITTEE CAN LOOK AT CHANGING SOME WORDING IN THE STATE LAW.

            “I THINK THAT IF THERE IS A GRAY AREA THERE, THEN THAT IS SOMETHING WE NEED TO REVIEW AND FIX IMMEDIATELY BECAUSE IT DOESN’T MATTER IF IT’S SIBLING AGAINST SIBLING ABUSE. IF IT’S SERIOUS ENOUGH AND THE CONDUCT IS REPEATED AND THERE IS A PATTERN WHICH THERE APPEARS TEHRE WAS HERE—THEN I THINK WE NEED TO EMPOWER THE CABINET TO REMOVE CHILDREN.”

            ALL FOUR FAMILY MEMBERS LIVING WITH AMY ARE ACCUSED OF ABUSE IN THE DOCUMENTS AND REPRESENTATIVE TILLEY SAYS HE WILL BE CONTACTING HIS FRIEND ATTORNEY GENERAL JACK CONWAY ABOUT THE CASE.

            "I’M CONTACTING HIM PERSONALLY TO DISCUSS THIS WITH HIM ONCE I’VE READ THE ENTIRE DECISION. I’VE HAD SEVERAL DISCUSSIONS ABOUT IT AND JUST GOT OFF THE PHONE WITH (JUDICIAL) COMMITTEE STAFF TO BEGIN SOME WORK AND TO REVIEW THIS CASE AND I THINK ONE OF THOSE CALL’S I’LL MAKE IN THE NEAR FUTURE IS TO CALL THE ATTORNEY GENERAL”

            REPRESENTATIVE TILLEY SAYS IT WAS MOST CERTAINLY A SYSTEMATIC FAILURE THAT KEPT AMY IN A HOME WHERE A BROTHER WAS ACCUSED OF SHOOTING HER WITH A BB GUN, HER FATHER ALLEGEDLY DROPPED HER OFF IN A HOTEL PARKING LOT AND DROVE AWAY SAYING NOBODY WANTED HER AND WHERE HER MOTHER WAS ACCUSED OF PLACING HER CLOTHES OUTSIDE UNDER A TARP AFTER AMY LOST CONTROL OF HER BOWELS WHILE AT HOME.

            AND MOST TRAGICALLY, A HOME WHERE THE NOW 18-YEAR OLD GARRETT DYE ADMITTED HE USED A HYDRAULIC JACK HANDLE TO BEAT AMY DYE TO DEATH ON THE EVENING OF FEBRUARY 4^TH.

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11/15/2011/AM

            IF LAST YEAR’S STATISTICS ARE ANY INDICATION, YOU BETTER BE EXTRA CAUTIOUS FOR DEER WHEN DRIVING IN HOPKINS COUNTY.

            THERE WERE 133 VEHICLE VERSUS DEER WRECKS IN HOPKINS COUNTY IN 2010, ACCORDING TO DATA RELEASED BY THE HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT, WHICH WAS THE SECOND HIGHEST NUMBER IN KENTUCKY.

            CHRISTIAN COUNTY ALSO HAD A HIGH NUMBER OF INCIDENTS AT 66, WHILE TODD AND TRIGG HAD 16 EACH. THERE WERE 22 DEER WRECKS IN CALDWELL COUNTY, 68 IN MUHLENBERG AND 28 IN LOGAN.

            THERE’S NO REAL WAY TO PINPOINT WHY HOPKINS COUNTY WOULD HAVE SO MANY DEER COLLISSIONS, BUT ONE WOULD HAVE TO BELIEVE THE SPEED OF MOTORISTS ON THE PENNYRILE AND WESTERN KENTUCKY PARKWAYS WOULD HAVE SOMETHING TO DO WITH IT.

            THOSE NUMBERS ONLY ACCOUNT FOR THE WRECKS CALLED INTO POLICE AND NOT ONES WHERE THE DRIVER MADE OTHER ARRANGEMENTS. AS ALWAYS, MOTORISTS ARE ENCOURAGED TO SLOW DOWN THIS TIME OF THE YEAR AND TO BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THE ANIMALS.

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            IT WON’T BE AS BIG OF A DEAL AS LAST TIME, BUT THERE WILL BE ANOTHER LANE RESTRICTION ON A BUSY TRIGG COUNTY BRIDGE THIS WEEK.

            THE HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT SAYS THE LANE RESTRICTION ON THE LAKE BARKLEY BRIDGE NEAR CANTON WILL ALLOW JOINT SEALING WORK ON THE BRIDGE DECK, BUT THERE ARE NO PLANS TO IMPLEMENT ANOTHER WIDTH RESTRICTION WHICH CAUSED SO MANY PROBLEMS LAST WEEKEND.

            MOTORISTS ENCOUNTERING THE ONE LANE TRAFFIC SHOULD BE PREPARED TO SLOW DOWN, AS FLAGGERS WILL CONTROL TRAFFIC FLOW. MOTORISTS WILL ALSO BE DRIVING THEIR VEHICLES IN VERY CLOSE PROXIMITY TO THE WORKERS.

            THE RESTRICTION IS EXPECTED TO RUN WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY OF THIS WEEK.

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11/15/2011/AM