The Lexington Police Department is warning people of a phone scam that targets Kentucky Utilities customers.

They say that several people have reported getting a phone message where they are asked to call a fake number that sounds like an automated system from KU. When the person is connected to the fake customer service representative, they are told that their bill is past due and they must pay immediately with a prepaid iTunes or Visa gift card.

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Police say that the people are told if they don’t comply, power to their home will be disconnected.

KU officials say that they will never call customers asking for credit or debit card numbers or other personal information and reminds customers to use the utilities SAFE tips to protect themselves from falling victim to scams.

There have been no reports of customers sending money to these scammers, but the Lexington Police Department and KU have both received several calls about the scam.

Anyone who believes they may be a victim of a phone scam should contact the police department at (859) 258-3600.

A former Garth Elementary School teacher received a twelve-month probated sentence after he pleaded guilty to second-degree wanton endangerment Thursday in a case involving a student with Autism.

According to the News-Graphic, Jayson Featherston entered the plea in a Scott County Court. Featherston’s plea comes two months after his resignation from Garth. He resigned his post two days after he dragged the third-grader out of his classroom, down a second-floor hallway, down a stairwell and along the first-floor corridor.

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The incident also prompted the forced resignation of Garth Principal Terry Quillen, who schools Superintendent Dr. Kevin Hub said had failed to intervene and act as an advocate for the student.

Featherston accepted a recommendation from Scott County Attorney Glenn Williams’ office regarding the 12-month probated jail term.  He is also not allowed to have contact with the student or his family, and will have to pay court costs.

A Tennessee man has been sentenced to 188 months in federal prison for conspiring to distribute massive quantities of marijuana and cocaine in central Kentucky and conspiring to launder approximately one million dollars in drug proceeds.

On Thursday, January 26, U.S. District Judge Karen Caldwell sentenced Benito Segura Tovar, 34, of Knoxville, Tenn. Under federal law, Tovar must serve at least 85 percent of his prison sentence.

Segura Tovar admitted that he conspired with Edgar Villa Castanedaand Miguel Salas, both of Lexington, Ky., and others to distribute over five kilograms of cocaine and over 1,000 kilograms – roughly 2,200 pounds – of marijuana between August 2014 and February 2015. The cocaine was supplied in part by Raul Garcia Valencia of Atlanta, Ga.

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The defendants distributed the drugs in Tennessee, Georgia, and central Kentucky, including Fayette, Madison and Montgomery Counties. Segura Tovar also admitted that he, Villa Castaneda, and Salas conspired to launder over one million dollars in drug proceeds.

Law enforcement seized approximately four kilograms of cocaine, 150 pounds of marijuana, several firearms, and approximately $1,000,0000 in bulk cash during the investigation.

Villa Castaneda and Salas pleaded guilty last year. Castaneda was sentenced to 204 months’ imprisonment; Salas was sentenced to 174 months’ imprisonment. Garcia Valencia was convicted at trial in June 2016 and sentenced to 160 months’ imprisonment.

Carlton S. Shier, IV., Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Timothy J. Plancon, Special Agent in Charge of the Detroit Field Division, DEA; Amy Hess, Special Agent in Charge of the Louisville Division, FBI; Stuart Lowrey, Special Agent in Charge of the Louisville Field Division, ATF; Richard W. Sanders, Kentucky State Police; and Mark Barnard, Chief of Lexington Police, jointly made the announcement today.

The investigation was conducted as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) Lexington, Ky. OCDETF is an initiative focusing on significant national and international drug trafficking and money laundering criminal organizations. The investigation was coordinated by DEA with the assistance of FBI, KSP, Lexington Police Department, and ATF. The United States was represented by Assistant United States Attorney Robert M. Duncan, Jr., and Assistant United States Attorney G. Todd Bradbury.

A Richmond man is in jail following a home invasion in Madison County.

On Tuesday, January 31, Richmond police arrested 26-year-old Kyle Sharp after police say he broke into a residence on Walnut street.

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They say the owners saw Sharp going through their things and did not know who he was, so they called police.

Sharp was charged with second degree burglary and resisting arrest. He was lodged in the Madison County Detention Center where he remains Thursday morning.

With still no word from Michael Bujanowski, who has been missing from the Wausau area since January 24th, the Wisconsin Crime Alert Network has issued an endangered missing person alert statewide.

Lt. Bill Kolb with the Wausau Police Department says they have received a few leads in the case.

He said, “We have received some leads that we’re looking into. Still trying to sort out whether there are any good leads, but a few leads have come in.”

Lt. Kolb says they believe Bujanowski is more of a danger to himself than others right now.

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“I would not say they’re in danger from him,” said Lt. Kolb. “We’re concerned for (Bujanowski’s) welfare given he doesn’t have his medication, it causes him to act for erratic. So we would hope anybody who has had contact with him would contact us.”

Because of the possibility that Bujanowski may have received a ride from someone, the alert is being made statewide.  The man left a mental health facility, North Central Health Care, on his own without a jacket or other personal belongings.

Lt. Kolb says if someone outside of the Wausau area were to find Bujanowski they should call local law enforcement and should not try to handle the situation themselves.  Without his medication, he would be experiencing nausea and may be behaving with “high energy.”

A federal judge this week sentenced a Huntsville man to nearly four years in prison for his scheme to have more than $600,000 in fraudulent federal and Washington, D.C., tax refund checks deposited into his bank accounts.

U.S. District Judge Abdul K. Kallon sentenced Martin Tyronne Woods, 36, to three years and 10 months in prison on one count of theft of government property. Woods pleaded guilty in October. He already is in custody.

Acting U.S. Attorney Robert O. Posey, IRS Special Agent in Charge Veronica Hyman-Pillot, FBI Special Agent in Charge Roger C. Stanton, District of Columbia Chief Financial Officer Jeffrey S. DeWitt, and D.C. Office of Tax and Revenue Criminal Investigation Division Chief Gilbert R. Garza announced the sentence.

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“Tax fraud and attempted tax fraud are an increasingly serious problem and criminals are becoming more skillful at committing this type of crime,” Posey said. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office is fortunate to work with law enforcement partners who are adept at identifying and investigating such fraud, and we will continue to prosecute criminals who steal from the government and the taxpayers.”

“Every taxpayer is affected by refund fraud when tax dollars are stolen from the government,” Hyman-Pillot said. “Martin Woods learned the hard way that participating in refund schemes and stealing taxpayer funds will result in punishment.”

“I want to express my appreciation to my agents and to our IRS-Criminal Investigation partners for their hard work in bringing Mr. Woods to justice,” Stanton said. “The FBI will continue to work with our partners to hold accountable those who defraud the government.”

Garza expressed his gratitude to IRS-Criminal Investigation, the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Alabama for their partnership in the investigation.

DeWitt said, “The D.C. Office of Tax and Revenue will vigorously pursue justice against individuals who commit stolen identity theft and tax fraud. As chief of the Criminal Investigation Division for Washington, D.C., we are committed to tracking down these criminals who steal money from the government and thus harm the honest taxpayers and the communities we serve.”

From September 2012 through April 2013 in Madison County, Woods and others, not named in the court documents, submitted the fraudulent federal and District of Columbia tax refund checks for deposit into Woods’ bank accounts. Many of the refunds were in the names of deceased individuals, according to the government’s sentencing memorandum.

The IRS and FBI investigated the case, which Assistant U.S. Attorney Russell E. Penfield prosecuted.

Deputies in Shelby County say that a human skull was found by a dog on Samples Lane.

They say that around 5:05 p.m Wednesday, deputies got the call that a homeowner’s dog brought them a skull found intact. Deputies responded to the home and confirmed it to be a skull.

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The Shelby County coroner now has possession of the skull. It is unclear at this time if the skull came from a nearby graveyard or what.

The skull was found in good condition but was described as being ‘old in nature.’

The sheriff’s office will be investigating the property again on Thursday.

KSP is requesting assistance in locating a missing person from Elliott County.

They say Robin Green-Skaggs, 54, of Sandy Hook, was last seen on January 8, 2017 around 5:00 p.m. in Sandy Hook.

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KSP describes her as 5’6’’ with green eyes and long brown hair.

They do not yet have a clothing description.

Anyone with any information on the whereabouts of Robin Green-Skaggs should call KSP Post 8 at 606-784-4127.

A Whitley County mother accused of killing her two daughters and her husband will appear in court Wednesday afternoon.

Police say Courtney Taylor shot all three of her immediate family members in their home almost three weeks ago. Taylor was arraigned on capitol murder charges. The case was moved to Laurel County because of a conflict of interest with a Whitley County judge.

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Today that judge will come to Williamsburg for Taylor’s hearing. During last week’s arraignment, Taylor sat with her head down in a wheelchair as the judge read her capitol murder and attempted murder charges aloud.

Taylor is accused of shooting her daughters Jessie and Jolee, and her husband, Larry, while all three were asleep in their beds. Taylor is also accused of pointing her gun at two sheriff’s deputies, forcing them to shoot her twice.

Her hearing is scheduled for 1 p.m.