It’s the season to hear bells ringing and that means that Jason Wood is spending five days a week and eight hours a day volunteering for the Salvation Army’s Red Kettle Campaign.

His good deed was dampened earlier this month when somebody made off with the kettle proceeds Jason had raised. He says that it is typical for a new face to switch out his full kettle with an empty one, so he didn’t give it a second though when a young man impersonating a volunteer walked up, flashed a name tag and took his kettle.

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Jason was shocked when the real Salvation Army worker showed up.

“I was like uh oh okay I have just been duped,” said Jason.

Lieutenant Harold Gitau says that a person matching the same description as the man who took Jason’s kettle came to the Kroger Customer Service and asked for kettles. He has made off with three red kettles this month.

Tuesday morning the church where they count their money was broken into. The burglar took around $300 worth in cash and gift cards. The church was also heavily damaged.

“We just continue praying for them, so that they may have a change of heart,” said Lieutenant Gitau.

Jason says he is also ready to forgive.

“Anger went through my mind initially, but the more I thought about it, the only thing I said to myself is hopefully whatever he took, he needed it more than somebody else,” said Jason.

The man stealing kettles is described as a young man, around 5 feet 10 inches tall with an average build and a scruffy, blonde beard.

If you have any information on who he is, you’re asked to call Frankfort police.

KSP Post 3 in Bowling Green is investigating a three vehicle collision that happened on US 31 E. New Glasgow Road that occurred around 9:43 a.m.

KSP says that the investigation indicated that Chad Cook, 26, of Adolphus, was operating a 1996 Chevrolet pick-up that was pulling a bumper hitch trailer and was traveling southbound on US 31-E when it seems that the trailer came loose and went into the northbound lane. There is struck a 2001 Chevroley pick-up traveling northbound. The driver was Steven Herrington, 51, of Scottsville.

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The collision caused Herrington’s truck to spin out of control. He hit two Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Highway Department workers that were conducting maintenance on the Bays Creek Bridge. Jeffery Harrison, 56, and Titus Morris, 34, both of Scottsville, were the Highway Department workers, Harrison was transported to the Medical Center in Bowling Green for non-life threatening injuries. Morris was transported to the Medical Center in Scottsville where he was pronounced deceased.

After hitting Herrington’s truck, the trailer hit another northbound vehicle, a 2014 GMC pick-up, operated by Garry Wade of Scottsville. Wade was transported to the Medical Center in Scottsville where he was treated for non-life threatening injuries.

Mr. Cook and his three passengers, along with Mr. Herrington, were not injured in the collision.

The investigation is still ongoing.

A school bus driver and youth pastor in Powell County facing shocking allegations faced a judge Tuesday to plead not guilty to the charges against him.

52-year-old Steve Williams is accused of sexually abusing at least two minors and was arraigned in a Powell County courtroom via closed circuit television.

Williams was a school bus driver for Powell County Schools and pastor of the Bowen First Church of God for about two and a half years. Powell County deputies say the church has one of the largest youth groups in the area, and Williams was very involved with many children in the congregation.

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“It’s somebody we trust with our children. It’s not just some guy at the grocery store that rolls your buggy out and helps you with groceries. He’s driving a bus, he’s taking care of our children,” said Powell County resident Don Reeves.

Authorities were first alerted about the alleged misconduct by the Powell County Board of Education on Thursday, after a student who attends Powell County Middle School reported that she had been sexually abused by Williams.

Following the allegations, Powell County school officials immediately suspended Williams from busing students. Hours later, Powell County deputies received another complaint accusing Williams of sexual misconduct; this time with a 16-year-old girl. Investigators say Williams has been fairly cooperative, adding that he became emotional when being interviewed.

Police raided the church Friday night, removing computers and cell phones Williams may have used. He has no previous criminal history but investigators say they need to make sure there aren’t any other minors Williams may have taken advantage of.

Authorities say at this point, they have a very strong case against Williams. The judge refused to lower Williams’ bond. It will remain at $300,000. Per Williams’ attorney, he has resigned his position as a youth pastor.

He was also fired from his position as a bus driver.

Richmond Police officials are searching for two suspects they say committed a robbery at a Kohl’s in Richmond.

Police have identified the female suspect as Jessica Roger of Clay City. The male suspect has not yet been identified. According to officials, the subjects fought with loss prevention and fled the scene with about $188 in merchandise.

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If you know the name of the male subject contact Richmond Police at 859 623-1162. Both are wanted by Richmond Police for Robbery 2nd.

A Harrison County teen is charged with reckless homicide stemming from a crash that happened along US 27 in Pendleton County.

No alcohol or drug use is suspected in the January crash, but the Pendleton County Sheriff says that 19-year-old Bradley Beagle was on his mobile phone during the crash.

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“We downloaded what is called the black box on the vehicle much like on an airplane…it records a lot of information to an accident. So gathering all that info together, we felt there was enough to at least take it to a grand jury and let them decided if an indictment was warranted,” Pendleton County Sheriff Craig Peoples told LEX 18.

A grand jury indicted Beagle for the crash that killed his friend, Harrison County High School senior Darin Williams. The sheriff says the teens were heading south on 27, when another vehicle stopped in front of them.

Beagle slammed on his brakes, causing the truck to skid across the road and flip several times, killing Williams.

Beagle was lodged in the Bourbon County Detention Center.

A Jemison man has been sentenced to life in prison for a child sex abuse conviction.

Jessie William Bispham, 34, was indicted in February 2013 on charges of sexual abuse of a child less than 12 years old. The offense occurred in August 2012, according to court records.

Prosecutors say the victim was 4 years old.

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A Chilton County jury returned a guilty verdict in November 2015. On Monday, Circuit Judge Ben Fuller sentenced him to life in prison with the Alabama Department of Corrections.

Bispham was also fined $25,000.

An undercover Internet Crimes Against Children investigation conducted by Kentucky State Police led to the arrest of three Boone Co. men on charges related to child sexual exploitation over the weekend.

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Troopers began the investigations after Detectives observed images of child sexual exploitation being shared online, including images of prepubescent children engaged in sexual acts.  The investigative findings were recently presented to a Boone County Grand Jury.

36-year-old Bradley L. Lewis (pictured above,) of Florence, was indicted on one count of possession of matter portraying a sex performance by a minor.  He was arrested on December 20th.

41-year-old Charles B. Waller, of Hebron, was indicted on one count of distribution of matter portraying a sex performance by a minor.  He was also arrested on December 20th.

Charles Waller

38-year-old Joshua B. Rose, of Florence, was indicted on one count of possession of matter portraying a sex performance by a minor.  He was arrested on December 18th.

Joshua Rose

All were taken to the Boone County Jail.

Lane County Sheriff’s Office deputies are searching for a Junction City man who’s car was pulled from a river on Sunday.

Deputies say Edgar Daran-Valez, 21, of Junction City was last seen leaving in the early morning hours of December 16th. He left his place of work at about 2 a.m. and was headed for home in Junction City, but never arrived.

His family filed a missing person report that afternoon, and that evening began searching for him.

Around midnight they found evidence of a motor vehicle crash on High Pass Road at a bridge across the Long Tom River. Deputies say evidence suggested a vehicle left the road and ended up in the river, but a car was not visible.

Deputies responded on the morning of December 17th and found something they believed to be a car submerged in water downstream from the crash scene.

The Lane County Sheriff’s Office Dive Team was activated and attempted to recover the vehicle, but was not able to due to safety concerns and high current in the area.

On the morning of the 19th, family and friends were able to locate the vehicle once again and attach a buoy to it.

The buoy and decreased flow of water provided by the US Army Corps of Engineers allowed the dive team to recover the vehicle Sunday afternoon, but the body of Daran-Valez was not inside.

The search is ongoing for Daran-Valez. Deputies say there is no evidence of criminal activity related to this case.

Three people have pleaded not guilty after investigators in Laurel County say they found a child in deplorable conditions.

It started around 7 a.m. Saturday when deputies were dispatched to a house off Old Richmond Road for a domestic dispute. Investigators say a man had visible injuries on his back and face, and a 4-year-old boy was found in a bed soaked with urine. The boy also told deputies he had not had any food since the day before.

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Deputies also say temperatures in the house hovered around freezing and that there was no running water, either.

Investigators arrested Hallie Simpson, her mother Charolett, and her boyfriend Jonathan Gross. All three are charged with endangering the welfare of a minor. Simpson faces additional charges of assault and domestic violence. They faced a judge Monday morning in a Laurel County courtroom.

Simpson told LEX 18’s Steve Butera that there is a reason why the child was in such deplorable conditions. She said that she was with the child, her boyfriend and her mother when they were driving back from Tennessee where they had refilled a Suboxone prescription, when the trip turned violent.

Simpson says that Jonathan Gross started to scream and grab her hair.

She says that they were only in the house for 45 minutes when the police arrived.

“When we got there, we didn’t have the heat on. When we got there, when I picked him up he peed on himself in his car seat,” said Simpson. Simpson says that when the child peed himself in the truck, they could not find dry clothes.

The child has been removed from the home.

The bonds for all three suspects have been set at $2,500 cash. Their next hearing will be held January 5.

Lexington police are looking for two young men who have been committing violent robberies at Lexington gas stations.

Detective Mark Thomas with the Lexington Police Department tells LEX 18’s Kristen Pflum that the two young men know they are wanted, but they have no intention of slowing down.

Lexington police say that it is time for 18-year-old Travontez Lillard to give himself up.

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“It’s a matter of time before somebody is either in the gas station and gets fed up and shoots back or one of these guys is gonna get hurt some other way,” said Thomas.

Viewers who watched our December 8^th Crime Stoppers broadcast were able to identify both robbers caught on camera. By that time they had help up three gas stations.

Police say they have gone on to rob at least two more stores this past week.

“They’re still going in, guns in your face, sticking a pistol right to the heads of these clerks and saying, ‘give me your cash, give me your cash,’” said Thomas.

Crime Stoppers is offering a thousand dollars cash, just in time for Christmas, for the person willing to turn in Lillard and his 17-year-old accomplice.

Police warn that there are likely to be more robberies.

“This is another perfect example of a group of guys that won’t stop until somebody steps in and intervenes and we physically have to put handcuffs on them to keep them from putting a gun in someone’s face,” Thomas told LEX 18’s Kristen Pflum.

Crime Stoppers will take anonymous tips and still issue the reward. Just call the tipline at (859) 253- 2020 if you know where Lillard is.

Police say they have already spoke to the parents and relatives of both robbers.