KSP arrested two people in connection with a double murder in Butler County.

Two bodies were discovered in a burnt vehicle on Region-Reedyville Road on November 9.

Arlexis Kawai, 22, of Bowling Green, and Helen Rone, 21, of Roundhill, were arrested and lodged in the Warren County Regional Jail. They were both charged with complicity to murder.

http://liarcatchers.com/wrongful_death.html

A warrant for murder has been obtained in connection with this case for 33-year-old Charles W. “Cotton” Lindsey, of Roundhill. He is described by state police as 6’0’’, 200 pounds, with blue eyes and brown hair.

Anyone with information to the whereabouts of Mr. Lindsey or that may have any further information in reference to this case is asked to contact KSP Post 3 Bowling Green at (270)782-2010.

He is considered armed and dangerous.

Police say a former forestry official who was charged with drug trafficking earlier this year has now been charged with starting a fire in Wayne County.

Police say that Steven Vitatoe was fired by the state shortly after police say he was caught with drugs, including meth, in his state-issued vehicle back in April.

Vitatoe was charged with possession and drug trafficking.

He was released on the condition he would wear a GPS monitoring device.

On November 2, firefighters were called out to Brammer Hill Ridge Road to put out another wildfire that appeared to have been intentionally set. Monticello Fire Chief Steve Ferrell told LEX 18 they suspected arson because the fire was set on the side of the road.

http://liarcatchers.com/arson_investigation.html

Police say by watching trail cam footage and using the GPS monitoring device to confirm his location, they knew they were looking for Vitatoe.

He was arrested Thursday afternoon and booked in the Wayne County Detention Center.

He was charged with willfully setting a fire, mischief, trespassing, and seven counts of wanton endangerment.

“The danger that’s out there, these guys out there, it’s easy for them to get hurt out there. It really is and they just don’t need to be out there,” said Chief Ferrell.

Firefighters continue to battle fires across eastern and southern Kentucky.

An abandoned trailer became the first building lost to a brush fire in Wayne County on Thursday.

United States Attorney John E. Kuhn, Jr., joined by Kentucky Attorney General Andy Beshear, and FBI Special Agent in Charge Amy S. Hess, announced charges today against retired Fulton County Kentucky Jailer Ricky Parnell and four contractors, who performed work on the $3.3 million 2015 Fulton County Detention Center expansion, for their roles in a conspiracy to defraud Fulton County citizens, through kickbacks and inflated costs associated with the project.

Ricky D. Parnell, 59, of Hickman, Kentucky; Ronald D. Armstrong, 60, of Dresden, Tennessee; Jimmy Boyd, 56, of South Fulton, Tennessee; Michael Homra, 79, of Fulton, Kentucky; and Daniel C. Larcom, 42, of Union City, Tennessee were charged by grand jury indictment on November 15, 2016 with Honest Services Fraud and multiple counts of Wire Fraud. The defendants were arraigned in United States District Court in Paducah, before Magistrate Judge Lanny King.

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According to the indictment, between April 2015 and August 2016, Parnell, who served as the Fulton County Jailer from 1990 until earlier this year, used his official position to enrich himself by soliciting and accepting gifts and payments from defendants Armstrong, Boyd, Homra and Larcom, in exchange for influencing the Fulton County Fiscal Court to award the defendants contracts on the project.

Parnell allegedly directed Armstrong, Boyd, Homra and Larcom to intentionally overcharge Fulton County for services and supplies provided as part of jail projects. Parnell would then present the inflated invoices and contracts to the Fulton County treasurer for payment to the defendants and their respective companies. In turn, the defendant contractors would use the excess proceeds to pay kickbacks, in the form of both cash and checks, to Parnell. According to the indictment, Parnell received at least $175,000 in money and other things of value.

In addition, defendants Armstrong, Boyd, Homra, and Larcom allegedly took steps to cover up their activities and dealings with Parnell, including using cash to provide Parnell with kickbacks, structuring withdrawals from banks to use for these kickbacks, and creating false and inflated invoices for services and materials in order to satisfy the cash kickbacks allegedly demanded by Parnell.

If convicted at trial, the defendants could be sentenced to no more than 20 years in prison per count, pay a $250,000 fine for each count, and be sentenced to serve a three-year period of supervised release.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Nute Bonner and is being investigated by the Kentucky Attorney General’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

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The indictment of a person by a Grand Jury is an accusation only and that person is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty

United States Attorney John E. Kuhn, Jr., joined by Kentucky Attorney General Andy Beshear, and FBI Special Agent in Charge Amy S. Hess, announced charges today against the current Ballard County Judge-Executive and former Ballard County Treasurer for executing a scheme that involved obtaining approximately $450,000 in bank loans using a $500,000 Ballard County Certificate of Deposit as collateral for the loans, all without authorization from the Ballard County Fiscal Court.  Viniard and Foster obtained the loans and pledged the collateral in order to secretly procure operating funds for Ballard County, Kentucky.

Vickie Louise Viniard, 60, the current Judge-Executive and Belinda Janean Foster, 50, the former Ballard County Treasurer, were charged by grand jury indictment on November 15, 2016, with counts of bank fraud, wire fraud, and making false statements on a loan application. Foster was arraigned this morning, in United States District Court in Paducah, before Magistrate Judge Lanny King. Viniard will make first appearance at a later date.

http://liarcatchers.com/fraud_investigation.html

According to the indictment, between April 2014 and October 2015, defendants Viniard and Foster executed a scheme by misrepresenting to First Community Bank that Viniard had the authority to apply for two loans and had the authority to pledge a Ballard County asset (certificate of deposit) as collateral for these loans.

On April 17, 2014, on behalf of the Ballard County Fiscal Court, Viniard applied for and was granted a $300,000 loan from First Community Bank in Wickliffe, Kentucky.  As collateral for the loan, Viniard pledged a $504,038.54 Certificate of Deposit belonging to the Ballard County Fiscal Court that was also held by First Community Bank.  Upon approval of the loan, $300,000 was deposited into the Ballard County Fiscal Court’s account with First Community Bank.  On June 12, 2014, on behalf of the Ballard County Fiscal Court, Viniard and Foster applied for and were granted a $150,000 loan from First Community Bank in Wickliffe. As collateral for the Loan, Viniard and foster pledged the same CD which had also been used as collateral for the $300,000 loan.  Upon approval of the $150,000 loan, $50,000 was deposited into the Ballard County Fiscal Court’s account with First Community Bank and $100,000 was wired to Huntington National Bank in Columbus, Ohio as partial satisfaction of a Ballard County bond obligation.

On April 17, 2014, Viniard allegedly executed documents, authorizing herself, as County Judge-Executive, to borrow money. The Ballard County Fiscal Court gave Viniard no such authorization and was unaware of the loans or the County’s CD being used as collateral for the loans because Viniard withheld this information.

Further, Viniard allegedly directed Foster to intentionally conceal the loan proceeds, which Foster did by labeling the loans as “payroll tax” receipts instead of income from loan proceeds.  Foster also did not account for the $100,000 that was wired to Huntington National Bank in Columbus, Ohio.

Additionally, Foster was authorized to write checks for medical reimbursement payments to Ballard County employees, including herself, and, using this authority, allegedly obtained at least $27,000 in fraudulent medical reimbursement payments.

If convicted at trial, bank fraud and making false statements on a loan application carry a sentence of no more than 30 years in prison per count, and wire fraud carries a sentence of no more than 20 years in prison for each count. Also, the defendants could be fined up to $2,000,000 for fraud charges and $250,000 for each count of wire fraud. The judge could further impose a period of supervised release.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Nute Bonner and is being investigated by the Kentucky Attorney General’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

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The indictment of a person by a Grand Jury is an accusation only and that person is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty

The Boone County Sheriff’s Office is looking for a Burlington woman who was last seen on Saturday.

The Boone County Sheriff said Tammy Rohlman, 54, of Burlington, Kentucky, was last seen after attending a family function in Hebron.

http://liarcatchers.com/missing_persons_investigations.html

She has not been in contact with her family, friends, or workplace.

Sheriff Michael A. Helmig said Rohlman’s pickup was located abandoned.

Anyone with information as to her whereabouts or could possibly have seen her since Saturday evening is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (513) 352-3040 or the Boone County Sheriff’s Office at (859) 334-2175.

A homicide investigation is underway after a body was found over the weekend on a property on Sullivan Lane in Franklin County.

In a press conference on Thursday, the Franklin County Coroner said that the body of a 49-year-old Hispanic man was found in the barn.

The victim, identified as Rogelino Godoy, of Frankfort, was last seen Friday at 6:00 p.m.

http://liarcatchers.com/wrongful_death.html

His body was found Tuesday by the farm owner who was checking on his horses.

The Franklin County Sheriff said he is not sure when Godoy was killed.

They are looking for a 1980s, or early 90s red Chrysler Sebring convertible with a tan top that was seen in the Peaks Mill area on Saturday.

If you have any information on the car or about this case, please call the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office.

Lexington Police became involved in a foot pursuit with a suspect near Tates Creek High School.

The chase started on Gainseway when police spotted a stolen vehicle. Lexington Police tell LEX 18 that a subject refused to pull over after a traffic stop and ended up crashing a car in the yard of a Nicholasville Police officer who had just gotten off work.

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Police say that the driver of the vehicle jumped out and fled on foot. Police managed to capture the suspect, who is a juvenile, and arrest him before he made it onto the campus of Tates Creek High School.

Lexington Police say the car was stolen. They tell LEX 18 that the suspect is being looked at in some thefts in the Andover Hills area. Police say that is where the SUV was reported stolen from.

The suspect is facing fleeing and evading charges, receiving stolen property and wanton endangerment.

The woman accused of killing a Transylvania graduate in a suspected DUI crash  pleaded not guilty Wednesday.

Alexandra Rankin is accused in the death of Robert Hatler. Hatler was killed in a crash on Athens-Boonesboro Road last week. Witnesses say a car driven by Rankin ran a red light and struck Hatler’s truck.

Hatler was ejected and was pronounced dead on the scene.

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According to her arrest citation, Rankin told police she had been drinking before the crash. She was taken into custody for second-degree manslaughter and DUI. Rankin paid the full cash bond of $7,500 for the manslaughter charge and $500 for the DUI charge.

She bonded out of jail around 2:57 p.m. on Friday.

Rankin pleaded not guilty to DUI and 2nd degree Manslaughter. She had her own lawyer. Her next court appearance will be December 21st at 8:30 a.m..

Hatler was laid to rest Monday.

On Wednesday, investigators with the Lexington Police Department arrested a man they say detonated a small explosive device in front of the Centre Meadows Apartments.

Richard Farr, 56, is charged with Wanton Endangerment 1^st.

Investigators say that shortly before 9:00 p.m. on Sunday, crews responded to a call about an explosion on Centre Parkway.

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According to his arrest citation, Farr admitted to making and detonating the improvised explosive device.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is assisting with this ongoing investigation. Anyone with additional information about this case is asked to call Lexington Police at (859) 258-3600.

Lexington Police are continuing their investigation this morning into a stabbing and possible shooting in Lexington.

The assault happened about 8:30 p.m. Tuesday on Henton Road near West Main Street. A woman told police a man tried to break into her home. The woman said the man stabbed her boyfriend. The boyfriend fought back, firing a shot which was thought to hit the intruder.

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The possible gunshot victim fled the scene. The boyfriend left as well and later showed up at UK Hospital with two stab wounds. His injuries are non-life threatening.

Police are still searching area hospitals for the person who allegedly stabbed the man.

If you have information you are asked to give Lexington Police a call.