A former Pike County attorney has pleaded guilty to theft charges and is facing up to three-years in prison.

Melanie Fields Ratliff, 41, pleaded guilty to theft charges on Monday, East Kentucky Broadcasting report. Ratliff formerly operated a law practice in downtown Pikeville and was once the head of the Pike County Bar Association.

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Ratliff admitted in court to stealing from her clients and from the Legal Funding Group. In total, police say Ratliff stole about $100,000.

Attorneys say Ratliff used the money to feed her drug habit. The Commonwealth’s attorney recommended three years in prison.

She will be sentenced April 27.

A Jefferson County, Kentucky, man was sentenced today in United States District Court, by Senior Judge Charles R. Simpson III, to 92 months in prison followed by a three year period of supervised release, for an attempted murder-for-hire scheme, announced United States Attorney John E. Kuhn, Jr.

Earl D. Grigsby, 52, was charged with use of interstate commerce facilities in the commission of murder-for-hire, in a single count indictment on January 21, 2015. Grigsby pleaded guilty to the charge on January 8, 2016. The defendant is currently in federal custody, but was in the custody of the Louisville Metro Department of Corrections at the time of the charged incident.

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According to the plea agreement, during the late summer months of 2014, defendant Grigsby attempted to find someone to kill his wife, with whom he was involved in a divorce. The FBI learned of the plan and arranged for an undercover FBI agent, posing as a “hit man” to visit with the defendant, who by this time was serving a jail sentence. The undercover FBI agent discussed the plan with the defendant, at one point telling the defendant that he would “kill the [expletive]” for “25 grand.”  This jailhouse conversation was conducted telephonically in jail and was recorded by the jail phone system and on a concealed video recorder used by the undercover FBI agent.  The defendant planned to pay the undercover FBI agent with the proceeds of an insurance policy on his wife. After the meeting with the “hit man,” the defendant wrote a letter to an associate which refers to “Dutch” (the undercover FBI agent) and tells the associate that “Dutch” was going to take care of “that other truck” and wants to make sure “that other truck … will not come back on us.” The defendant placed the letter in the mail on or about October 15, 2014.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Thomas W. Dyke and was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

The former pastor of a Louisville, Kentucky, parish, Stephen A. Pohl, 57, was sentenced today in United States District Court, by United States District Judge David J. Hale, to 33 months in prison followed by a life term of Supervised Release for violating federal child exploitation laws, announced United States Attorney John E. Kuhn, Jr.  There is no parole in the federal criminal justice system.

“Viewing child pornography over the internet is a crime with untold and horrific consequences for these defenseless child victims,” said United States Attorney John Kuhn. “Protecting children is a national priority of the Department of Justice. My Office will continue to prosecute those who harm the most vulnerable and those who perpetuate these crimes through their internet devices.”

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Pohl pleaded guilty to a single charge of knowingly accessing, via the Internet, with intent to view material that contained images of child pornography between January and August 2015.  Under federal law, child pornography involves visual depictions of minors under the age of 18 engaged in sexually explicit conduct.  Pohl was initially charged with the same offense by criminal complaint on August 21, 2015.  The complaint was filed after law enforcement officials executed two federal search warrants on August 12, 2015, in the work and living areas used by Pohl in the parish office and rectory of St. Margaret Mary Catholic Community, located at 7813 Shelbyville Road, in Louisville, Kentucky.

The investigation began after a child told his mother that Pohl had taken pictures of him that made him feel “weird.”  When the child’s parents confronted Pohl about the pictures of their son, they saw similar pictures of another child and reported the matter to law enforcement.  Law enforcement officials obtained the search warrants based on the inappropriate images.  It is important to note that no child pornography images of Saint Margaret Mary school children were found on the digital devices seized and examined as a result of the search warrants.  All child pornography evidence and the charge in this case relate to Pohl’s online searches and viewing.

Law enforcement officials arrested Pohl in Indian Rocks Beach, Florida, on Friday evening, August 21, 2015.  Pohl was then held at the Pinellas County Jail until his transfer to the custody of the United States Marshals Service.  He appeared in United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky on September 2, 2015.  After pleading guilty to the charge in January 2016, Pohl surrendered to the United States Marshals Service where he will remain until designation by the Bureau of Prisons.

Assistant United States Attorney Jo E. Lawless prosecuted the case.  The Federal Bureau of Investigation in conjunction with Louisville Metro Police Department’s Crimes Against Children Unit conducted the investigation.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc  For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.”

A Crestview man was arrested last week for burning his own vehicle to defraud his insurer, lawmen say.

According to investigation records from the Florida State Fire Marshal, the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office responded to a vehicle fire at 3393 U.S. Highway 90 at the Roy Lynn Barnes Public Boat Ramp on March 24, 2015.

The owner of the vehicle, Christopher Talbert, told deputies he had parked his 2010 Chevrolet truck by the boat ramp around 3 p.m. the day before and went to the beach area. He left the truck parked overnight and returned the following day to find the truck interior burned and stereo equipment missing.

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According to the report, the truck sustained light fire and smoke damage inside, with the heaviest damage located in the driver’s seat. The investigator also noticed a “strong smell” of gasoline inside the truck.

In an interview with the Fire Marshal’s office, Talbert said he met his wife at the boat ramp and when he returned to the truck it was hard to start and the check engine light turned on. He told investigators he decided to leave the truck overnight and rode home with his wife.

When he came back the next morning, he discovered the interior was set on fire, the stereo equipment had been stolen and the smell of gasoline was thick inside the cab. He called 911 to report the incident.

Talbert told investigators that he still owed a balance on his loan for the truck and that he used the vehicle for his flooring business. The estimated loss was $8,000.

The incident was listed as a burglary until Oct. 8 when Talbert was arrested for burglary and theft in Okaloosa County just a few days before. In a post arrest interview, investigators learned new information about the vehicle fire leading to an arrest warrant for arson and burning to defraud an insurer.

Talbert, who has a history of burglary charges, was arrested on arson and insurance fraud charges March 21.

Some patients at Saint Joseph Hospital said they woke up feeling violated, Tuesday morning, after discovering some of their belongings were missing.

Christina Parise said her aunt was one them, “they took her purse and they found her purse in a trash can.”

Parise’s aunt was rushed to the hospital late Monday night and when she tried calling her Tuesday morning it went straight to her voicemail. Her cell phone had also been stolen.

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But Lexington Police said that wasn’t the only case. Officers went to the hospital twice Tuesday morning, each time several thefts had been reported.

“They’re just walking in there like they own the place and taking what ever they want,” Parise said.

Through a statement, a representative with the hospital said in part “It is disheartening that someone would take advantage of hospitalized patients.” They go on to explain that the hospital “staffs 24/7 security personnel, utilizes cameras limits access to the hospital during the overnight hours.”

But Parise said their sense of security has been taken, “you’re suppose to feel safe in a hospital you’re not suppose to have your stuff stolen from you. If they can go in and steal a phone what could they have done and nobody not know?”

In the meantime, Parise said, her aunt has been provided personal security at her door but the trust is gone, “she says she’s not going to be comfortable enough to sleep and she needs rest.”

Lexington Police said they’ll be reviewing surveillance video and the hospital is cooperating with the investigation.
Complete statement from Saint Joseph Hospital:

“Saint Joseph Hospital is a place of wellness, healing and hope.  It is disheartening that someone would take advantage of hospitalized patients, but maintaining a safe and secure environment for our patients, family, visitors and staff is crucial.  Saint Joseph Hospital staffs 24/7 security personnel, utilizes cameras limits access to the hospital during the overnight hours, and provides all patients a secure place to store valuables.  We will continue to support the patients impacted by this situation and assist Lexington Police during its investigation.”