Kentucky News Now

INFORMANT KILLED-EVIDENCE DESTROYED

Officer quits over destroyed items in slaying case

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A federal judge is weighing whether to dismiss murder charges against two men accused of killing a federal informant after a Kentucky state trooper mishandled and destroyed evidence. The trooper has since resigned after admitting he didn't have authorization to dispose of the evidence.

U.S. District Judge Amul Thapar has scheduled a hearing on Nov. 3 in Lexington to review the actions of former detective Jeff Senters.

The hearing comes in the case of Jimmy D. Benge and Gerald Lee Sizemore. Prosecutors are weighing whether to seek a death sentence for the men if they are convicted of conspiring to kill Eli "Big Eli" Marcum in December 2012.

Prosecutors say the pair killed Marcum in Clay County because he gave information to federal investigators about a drug pipeline from Florida.

MURDER TRIAL DATE

Trial date set for men charged in Ky. slaying

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Two men are scheduled to stand trial next year in the death of a Lexington man whose body was found in a barrel on the banks of the Kentucky River.

Media reports say Robert Markham Taylor and Timothy Curtis Ballard will face a jury trial starting Oct. 5, 2015, in the beating death of Alex Johnson.

Taylor is charged with murder, kidnapping and tampering with physical evidence.

Ballard is charged with kidnapping, tampering with evidence and being a persistent felon.

Taylor's attorney asked for at least a year to prepare for the trial, because Taylor could get the death penalty if convicted.

Johnson, a chef at the University of Kentucky, went missing Dec. 20, 2013, soon after hanging up the phone with his girlfriend when he heard a knock at the door.

KENTUCKY SENATE

Huckabee promotes McConnell in Kentucky

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee says Kentucky is on the verge of an "incredible opportunity" if Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell wins re-election and the GOP takes control of the chamber after next month's election.

McConnell is the Senate's ranking Republican. He's in line to become majority leader if the GOP wrests Senate control from Democrats.

Huckabee says 49 other states would love to be home to the Senate's top leader.

Huckabee, a 2008 presidential candidate, headlined a GOP rally Saturday evening in Louisville. He made a pitch for Republican candidates up and down the ballot, but focused on the contentious race between McConnell and Democratic challenger Alison Lundergan Grimes.

Grimes campaign spokeswoman Charly Norton responded that McConnell is concerned with his own self-promotion, while Grimes would be an "independent problem-solver."

BODY PART

Human arm found on river bank in Henry County

(Information in the following story is from: WKYT-TV, http://www.wkyt.com)

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Authorities are investigating a human arm that was found on a river bank in Henry County.

WKYT-TV reports the limb was discovered on a bank of the Kentucky River in Lockport, near Frankfort.

Henry County Coroner Jimmy Pollard says based on what appears to be acrylic nails, the arm belongs to a woman. He says the limb, from the shoulder to the fingers, is bruised and bloated.

Authorities searched the area but didn't find a body or any other human remains.

The arm was taken to the medical examiner's office on Saturday to begin the process of identification, which the coroner says could take at least several weeks.

FATAL SHOOTING

4 people found shot to death in Trigg County, Ky.

CADIZ, Ky. (AP) — Authorities are investigating a shooting at a residence in Trigg County, Kentucky, that's left four people dead.

According to a press release from Kentucky State Police, officers were called to the scene around 11:44 a.m. on Sunday.

They found four people shot to death in and around the residence in Cadiz, located about 40 miles northwest of Clarksville, Tennessee.

Police believe the suspect is among the deceased.

The names of the victims have not been released.

FATAL STABBING

Louisville police investigating fatal stabbing

(Information in the following story is from: WHAS-TV, http://www.whas11.com)

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Police are investigating the fatal stabbing of a man in Louisville.

According to WHAS-TV, the man was stabbed around 4 p.m. on Saturday. He was taken to the University Hospital where he later died from his injuries.

Police have not identified the man and no arrests have been made. However, several people were being questioned.

It was the second murder on Saturday for the homicide unit. About 30 minutes before the stabbing, a man was fatally shot inside a car. Police were still searching for a suspect in that case as well.

PEDESTRIAN KILLED

Man killed when hit by truck in Lexington

(Information in the following story is from: WKYT-TV, http://www.wkyt.com)

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Authorities say a man was killed when he was hit by a truck while crossing a street in Lexington.

According to WKYT-TV, 42-year-old Bryan K. Watkins was struck around 11:30 p.m. on Saturday. He was taken to UK Chandler Hospital where he later died from his injuries.

The driver of the truck, William Watkins, was charged with reckless homicide and DUI. He was also treated for injuries.

MISTAKEN ID CLAIM

Man wrongly ID'd as heroin user seeks lost wage

(Information in the following story is from: The Kentucky Enquirer, http://www.nky.com)

COVINGTON, Ky. (AP) — A northern Kentucky man says a case of mistaken identity cost him thousands in pay and the respect of family and friends.

Dana J. Davis says he found out his photo was distributed in an online newsletter from the county prosecutor's office. It says he had been sentenced to a year in prison for heroin possession.

The Kentucky Enquirer reports Davis found out about it when his mother called him.

The 50-year-old handyman had been doing maintenance work at a Covington property for a few years, but after the web posting, the owner wouldn't return his calls.

The Kenton Commonwealth's Attorney's office apologized for the mix up. But Davis is seeking compensation for 11 weeks of lost wages with the Kentucky Board of Claims. He is seeking $15,900.