Kentucky News Now – April 5th, 2016

BELGIUM-MISSING COUPLE

Remains of couple killed in Belgium returned to Lexington

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — The remains of a couple with Kentucky and Tennessee ties who were killed in terrorist attacks in Belgium last month have been returned to Lexington.

The Lexington Herald-Leader reports the remains of 29-year-old Stephanie Shults and 30-year-old Justin Shults arrived in Lexington late Sunday from a military base in Dover, Delaware. The funeral is planned Friday in Lexington.

Stephanie Shults was a graduate of Bryan Station High School and Transylvania University and worked for a division of Mars in Brussels. Justin Shults was from Gatlinburg, Tennessee, and worked for Clarcor in Brussels. They met at Vanderbilt University while working on their master's degrees.

They were at the airport to say goodbye to Stephanie Shults' mother, Carolyn Moore of Lexington, who had been visiting. Moore suffered minor injuries.

HIGHWAY DEATHS

Highway deaths up 13 percent in Kentucky in 2015

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Highway fatalities in Kentucky rose 13 percent last year compared with 2014.

The figures released Monday by the Kentucky Office of Highway Safety and Kentucky State Police show 761 fatalities occurred in 2015, compared to 672 a year earlier.

Officials say contributing factors to the increase are mild winter weather and lower gas prices during the last three months of the year that led to increased traveling on Kentucky roadways.

About half of the fatalities involved motorists who weren't using seat belts, while nearly 19 percent involved alcohol. More than one-third involved speeding or aggressive drivers.

CHARITY THEFT

Police say man stole donation jar and table it was bolted to

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — A man accused of stealing a donation jar for disabled veterans along with the table it was attached has turned himself in to police.

The Lexington Herald-Leader reports police say the victim was collecting donations in front of a Wal-Mart store when David Kirk approached the donation table. Kirk tried to take the money-filled jar, but when he found it was bolted to the table, he picked up the entire table, put it in bed of his pickup truck and drove away.

Kirk turned himself in after police obtained an arrest warrant.

He is charged with first-degree robbery. On Sunday, he was being held on a $10,000 bond. He has a court hearing scheduled for Wednesday.

Jail records do not indicate if he has an attorney.

HIT-AND-RUN FATAL

Harrodsburg mother killed in hit-and-run crash; man arrested

HARRODSBURG, Ky. (AP) — Investigators in Mercer County have arrested a man who they say was responsible for a hit-and-run accident that left a Harrodsburg mother dead.

Citing an arrest citation, WLEX-TV reports that 21-year-old Matthew Warner was arrested Sunday evening and is being charged with leaving the scene of an accident and tampering with evidence.

Authorities say Warner struck 38-year-old Heather Lawrence as she was walking along U.S. Route 127 early Sunday, abandoned the truck and had someone else report it as stolen. It is unclear whether he has an attorney.

The victim's husband, Carl Lawrence, tells WKYT-TV that his wife had left their home after an argument. He says he and his wife had four children, ranging in age from two to 18.

FATHER KILLED-DAUGHTER CHARGED

Exam ordered for Minnesota woman accused of killing father

ST. CLOUD, Minn. (AP) — A judge has ordered a mental competency exam for a central Minnesota woman accused of killing her father and escaping to Kentucky.

Stearns County Judge Kris Davick-Halfen ordered the evaluation Monday for 38-year-old Lisa Kearney of St. Cloud. Kearney is charged with second-degree murder in the bludgeoning death of 66-year-old Jeffrey Schilling. His body was found Jan. 4 inside the home he shared with Kearney.

Kearney was ordered held on $1 million bail. The St. Cloud Times reports the criminal proceedings will be halted until the exam is completed.

A criminal complaint says Schilling died of head injuries, apparently inflicted with an ax-like tool found nearby.

Kearney was arrested in Louisville, Kentucky, on Jan. 6 and later returned to Minnesota. Prosecutors are considering seeking a first-degree murder indictment.