Expanding the Circle to Reach All Victims: Lexington Crime Victims’ Rights Luncheon 2018.

Today’s Honorees: Child and Family Therapist Jonna Sears and therapy dog Bodhi; Asst. United States Attorney Rajbir Datta; Assistant County Attorney Byron Ockerman; Crime Victim Survivor/Community Activist Anita Franklin; Forensic Nurse Anita Capillo; Legal Aid of the Bluegrass attorney Catherine DeFlorio.

Hosts: Fayette Commonwealth Attorney; United States Attorney Eastern District; Fayette County Attorney; Fayette County Sheriff; and the Lexington Police Department.

Thank you to the Crime Victims’ Advocates from each agency for planning and executing this wonderful event.

And a BIG THANK YOU to our crime victim survivors who attended and shared their stories in our video From Victim to Survivor. It will be posted separately on our FB page.

Michael Poe was sentenced Friday, November 17 to seven years in prison for Manslaughter Second Degree and Operating a Motor Vehicle Under the Influence of Alcohol with an Aggravating Circumstance.

On April 3, 2016, after consuming a quantity of beer, Poe took a friend’s 2015 Ford Mustang for a joyride on Athens-Boonesboro Road in Lexington. Poe overshot a turn at a high rate of speed, sending the car flying off the road, causing it to roll over, and killing his passenger, Nick Rucker. Police investigation revealed that Poe had a .170 blood-alcohol level. Poe admitted to drinking a pitcher of beer prior to getting behind the wheel.
Rucker was a National Guard soldier and a student at Eastern Kentucky University who had been one semester away from graduating. The university later awarded Rucker a posthumous degree. During the pendency of the case against Poe, Rucker’s adoptive mothers, Diane Clift and Libby Charlton, worked to secure the March 2017 passage of House Bill 222, which removed the possibility of shock probation in future DUI homicide cases.

Poe entered a guilty plea on September 22, 2017. At his sentencing hearing on Friday, November 17, Clift spoke passionately about the impact that Rucker’s death had on their family and the community at large, and asked that Poe be remanded to custody. Judge Thomas Travis refused probation for Poe and remanded him to custody to begin service of his sentence.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Michael Barnett and investigated by Det. Tyler Smith, LMPD.

Awareness-Prevention-Prosecution! Doing our part to stop domestic violence.
#LexStopDV #TogetherWeCan #WearPurple

It’s an honor to be thought of as a person who pays it forward to her profession and gives it back to her community. Thank you University of Kentucky College of Law.

Congratulations to the 48 new Lexington Police Officers and their families. Today’s ceremony was inspirational! Our community is fortunate to have these new officers protecting us and serving us. We look forward to working with you.

– Lou Anna Red Corn, Fayette Commonwealth’s Attorney

After three days of trial, Anthony Beard Jr., was convicted of burglary first degree, assault second degree, and wanton endangerment second degree last night. Beard forced his way into a relative’s home and shot someone inside. The victim was struck in the torso, arm, and leg. Beard was immediately identified by relatives, and was arrested by Lexington Police within several hours. Sentencing is scheduled for November 9th at 1:00 p.m.. Prosecutors were Brad Bryant and Taylor Brown, the primary investigating detective was Franz Wolff, Judge James Ishmael presided over the trial.

Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Kathy Phillips and former Crime Victim’s Advocate Robin Anderson believe every child should have a great costume for Halloween festivities. To make sure that happened they formed Caring Costumes in 2016, and dressed many Fayette County children for Halloween. It’s that time of year, and Caring Costumes is collecting gently used costumes once again.

Kathy and Robin will make sure the costumes are cleaned and donated to an organization who has identified children in need. If you have a new or gently used Halloween costume to donate please connect with https://www.facebook.com/CaringCostumes/

Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Dan Laren participated in the first annual “Downtown Dash” in Versailles on Saturday, September 23rd. Dan says, “It was fun!” The event was hosted by the American Legion Post 67. It included a 5K race, a “Fear the Beer” one mile run, music, crafts, food and fun in historic downtown Versailles to raise funds in support of veterans, active duty military, and the community. Dan served as a Military Police Officer (MP) in the United States Army in the 1980s. He was stationed in Germany.

Photo: (left to right) Frankfort police officer David Duncan, Dan, and retired Lexington Detective Keith Ford on the “Hill of Pain”.

This weekend our Victim’s Advocate Megan Vanover and Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Dan Laren participated in the Bluegrass Crime Stoppers Shootout. The Shootout is a fundraising event, with proceeds benefitting Bluegrass Crime Stoppers and the Crime Stoppers in Schools program, including the payment/rewards program that leads to the arrest of those who commit crimes in our community. See the link below for the telephone number and Web Tips to encourage citizens to volunteer vital information helpful to law enforcement agencies to fight against crime. Thanks to Megan and Dan!

http://www.bluegrasscrimestoppers.com/index.aspx

Our office turned out last night to support the Children’s Advocacy Center of the Bluegrass, Children’s Advocacy Center of the Bluegrass, and to honor our retired Commonwealth’s Attorney Ray Larson. And most importantly – to help raise money for children. It was a great success!