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Man sentenced for crimes against children and family dog
CITIZEN STAFF REPORT SALYERSVILLE — A Magoffin County man got a decade in prison following his conviction on multiple charges related to child sexual exploitation and animal abuse. Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman announced the sentencing Thursday. Kent Simpkins, 43, of Salyersville, received the 10-year sentence after pleading guilty Nov. 21, 2024, to seven felony…
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Martin County arrest report
INEZ — Martin County Sheriff John Kirk’s Office reported the following arrests: Charles Ray Crum, 42, of Debord, was arrested Sunday on Setser Branch in Debord on a warrant. Special Deputy J.C. Kirk served the warrant. He remains in the Big Sandy Regional Detention Center under a $10,000 bond. Jackie Blackburn, 60, of Inez, was…
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Trio of suspected copper thieves in jail
BY ROGER SMITH MOUNTAIN CITIZEN INEZ — For three men in Martin County, the promise of fast cash in the form of stripped copper wire may have seemed worth the risk. What they got instead was a jail cell. Authorities say Ricky J. Sartin, 60, Charles Ray Crum, 42, and Jackie Blackburn, 60, are the…
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Sheriff solves copper theft case
BY ROGER SMITH MOUNTAIN CITIZEN BEAUTY — Copper theft that left thousands without phone and internet service during recent flash flooding led to the arrest of a Beauty man by Martin County Sheriff John Kirk. Ricky J. Sartin, 60, was arrested April 9 at his residence on Gordon Hollow Road and charged with receiving stolen…
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Death threat, bomb threat lead to student’s arrest
BY ROGER SMITH MOUNTAIN CITIZEN INEZ — Police arrested a Martin County High School student last week after he allegedly threatened to kill fellow students and bomb the school, authorities said. The Martin County Sheriff’s Office responded to the school April 7 after a female student reported receiving violent threats. According to a police report,…
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Man in jail after allegedly firing gunshots at juvenile
BY ROGER SMITH MOUNTAIN CITIZEN PILGRIM — A 46-year-old Pilgrim man remains in jail after allegedly firing gunshots at a juvenile and threatening to shoot another, according to law enforcement officials. Dennis Scott faces charges of wanton endangerment involving the discharge of a firearm, along with two counts of terroristic threatening. Authorities say Scott fired…
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Grand jury returns indictments in Martin County
BY ROGER SMITH MOUNTAIN CITIZEN INEZ — The Martin County grand jury returned a slate of indictments involving nearly a dozen individuals in its April 3 session. Charges range from drug trafficking and wanton endangerment to receiving stolen property and terroristic threatening. Josh Scott, AKA Joshua Scott, 38, of Debord, faces charges of receiving stolen…
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Five years on the run: Kentucky murder suspect captured in South Carolina
CITIZEN STAFF REPORT GAFFNEY, S.C. — U.S. Marshals arrested a West Virginia man last week in South Carolina, nearly five years after he allegedly committed murder in Kentucky. Officers took Charles Ray Blevins, 38, of Williamson, into custody March 31 in Gaffney, South Carolina. Blevins had been wanted in Kentucky since July 2019 for first-degree…
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Martin County Arrest Report
INEZ — Martin County Sheriff John Kirk’s Office reported the following arrests: Willis Horn, 34, of Inez, was arrested Saturday on Big Elk in Beauty for reckless driving, fleeing or evading police (motor vehicle), operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol, wanton endangerment, possession of a handgun by a convicted felon, and possession…
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Dinner tantrum ends in arrest for local man
BY ROGER SMITH MOUNTAIN CITIZEN PILGRIM — Things got messy at Verlia’s Kitchen on Thursday. Authorities say Dallas Maynard, 72, of Pilgrim, turned the afternoon into chaos inside the popular eatery on KY-1714. Martin County Chief Deputy Sheriff Chris Kidd responded to an “altercation in progress” call that led him to Verlia’s, where things were…