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Man sentenced in fentanyl case
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Ian Wyatt Justice, 20, of Huntington, was sentenced to six years in prison followed by four years of supervised release for possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl. According to court documents and statements, on March 16, 2021, law enforcement officers were conducting a drug investigation and observed…
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Feds indict York
BY ROGER SMITHMOUNTAIN CITIZEN PIKEVILLE — A federal grand jury indicted a Martin County man for allegedly producing and distributing child pornography. Donald York, 59, of Beauty, was indicted June 9 in Pikeville on two counts of production of child pornography and one count of distribution of child pornography. The indictment accuses York of coercing…
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Assistant principal arrested for alleged child sex crimes
CITIZEN STAFF REPORT PRESTONSBURG — The South Floyd Elementary School assistant principal was arrested Thursday for alleged child sex crimes. April Bradford, 50, of Weeksbury, was indicted June 15 in Floyd County on 11 counts of unlawful transaction with a minor, one count of second-degree sodomy and seven counts of third-degree sodomy. Attorney General Daniel…
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Third person arrested in Mingo murder
BY KYLE LOVERNFOR THE MOUNTAIN CITIZEN WILLIAMSON, W.Va. — The Mingo County Sheriff’s Department recently made a third arrest in connection with the March 31 murder of a Delbarton woman. Brittany Garlock, of Rockhouse Creek Road in Delbarton, was arrested May 23 in Charleston by the U.S. Marshal’s CUFFED Task Force on the charge of…
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Two sentenced to life in prison
CITIZEN STAFF REPORT LONDON — Two Kentucky men will spend life in federal prison for two counts of kidnapping. Jake Messer, 39, of Rockholds, was given a life sentence May 31 by United States District Judge Robert E. Wier in London. His father, George Oscar Messer, 62, of Rockholds, was sentenced to life in prison…
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Carter cited for littering
WARFIELD — A Martin County man who allegedly tossed trash from his vehicle will answer a criminal littering citation in court. Martin County Deputy Felix Lafferty cited 61-year-old Rutt Carter after seeing him throw trash in front of the Warfield Church of God May 27. “I stopped him and made him pick it up,” Lafferty…
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Theft investigation leads to five arrests
Firearms, drugs seized CITIZEN STAFF REPORT PIKEVILLE — Five people were arrested June 1 after illegal drugs and stolen items were discovered at a Pike County home. Officers with Kentucky State Police Post 9 executed a search warrant at a residence on Flora Street in the Coal Run community of Pike County. Officers say the…
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Prison officers indicted
BY ROGER SMITHMOUNTAIN CITIZEN LONDON — Three federal prison employees face charges after authorities say they assaulted two inmates and attempted to cover it up at the U.S. Penitentiary Big Sandy in Martin County. Officers Samuel Patrick, 41, of West Van Lear, and Clinton Pauley, 40, of Ironton, Ohio, were indicted Thursday by a federal…
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Three Big Sandy Employees Indicted for Civil Rights Violations
Department of JusticeU.S. Attorney’s OfficeEastern District of Kentucky LONDON, Ky. – Three Bureau of Prisons employees of the United States Penitentiary Big Sandy, located in Inez, Ky., were indicted on Thursday, for federal civil rights violations. A federal grand jury sitting in London, Ky., returned an indictment charging the following individuals: Samuel J. Patrick, 41,…