Knox County Police Looking For Two Stolen Vehicles

Laurel County Sheriff John Root reports Deputy Travis Napier and K-9/Sgt. Gary Mehler made an arrest in a theft case at a business south of London. Staff there reported missing merchandise valued at over $4000.00. Following an internal investigation in cooperation with the Sheriff’s office, stolen items were found in 28-year-old Zebulin Collett’s possession. Collett was an employee there. He was charged with theft by unlawful taking and lodged in the Laurel County Correctional Center.

More information is being released about a crash that killed three people on I-75 in Laurel County. The California man accused of causing the crash, 21-year-old Joshua Poore, was in court Tuesday morning. Poore is accused of driving the wrong way on the interstate and crashing into a car carrying three people from Illinois, killing all of them. Lt. Detective Chris Edwards with the Laurel County Sheriff’s Office said they had received multiple reports of a vehicle traveling the wrong way on the interstate. Before officers could get it stopped, the collision occurred. Despite Poore being in and out of consciousness, Detective Edwards testified they were able to give him a breathalyzer test and he blew a .22. Officials said Poore is a college student who was on break, and was traveling through Kentucky visiting friends and family in some of the states surrounding Kentucky. The judge refused to lower Poore’s $1 million bond. The Laurel County Grand Jury will consider returning a murder indictment against Poore, possibly as early as next week if more evidence is returned from the lab.

The Williamsburg Police Department was called in to investigate a threat this week at the University of the Cumberlands. Just after 5:00 p.m. Tuesday, officers were asked to assist the college after a threat was phoned in. The initial investigation indicated that 35-year-old Dustin Collins Burchett of Somerset called a building at the university and claimed he was going to “shoot up the campus.” This led to extra security measures and a large law enforcement presence across campus for an hour afterward. Burchett was tracked to Somerset where he was arrested by Kentucky State Police and deputies with the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Department. He was charged with terroristic threatening and was lodged in the Pulaski County Detention Center.

Three people have pleaded guilty in connection with a 2020 Laurel County murder. On December 20th, 2020, 32-year-old Jeremy Caldwell was murdered off Highway 490, five miles north of London. Investigators said Caldwell was shot dead in his vehicle. The suspects fled the scene and were later arrested. The Laurel County Sheriff’s Office said 40-year-old Robert Brandon Gray is looking at 25 years in prison, 31-year-old Ashley Lewis, 20 years in prison and 30-year-old Freddy Wayne Scalf, Jr., 15 years in prison. Gray was charged with murder, Lewis is charged with complicity to murder, and Scalf is charged with complicity to murder and evidence tampering. The sheriff’s office said the final sentencing is scheduled for September 14th.

Laurel County Sheriff John Root says his department is once again is working in cooperation with Laurel County and East Bernstadt schools to conduct their “School Safety and Security Walk-Through Program.” Sheriff Root says it provides an added level of security to the schools. These random, unscheduled safety checks are conducted routinely throughout the school year to help provide a safe learning environment. Sheriff Root asks parents to keep this in mind as you see patrol cars in the school parking lots and when your children tell you about seeing deputies walking the hallways of their school. The sheriff’s office will continue to provide this service regularly throughout the school year.

The cleanup continues in Clay County, nearly two weeks after historic flooding swept through Eastern Kentucky. The community of Bull Skin, near Oneida, was one of the hardest hit, and two people were killed in the community. People across the county are taking everything out of their homes, so the rebuilding phase can start. Clay County Emergency Management Director David Watson said the county is making progress. According to Watson, 50-60 homes were destroyed, and ten homes were ruled inhabitable. He said 95% of the affected homes have been cleaned out since the flooding happened. Watson added people are staying in campers, motels and other places that offer shelter while the road to recovery continues. Meanwhile, Whitley County has been added to the list of counties eligible for FEMA assistance. People in those counties can go to any center to get help applying for FEMA assistance. There’s a registration center in Clay County at the Clay Community Center, 311 Highway 638, Manchester and a Disaster Center at Oneida Elementary School, 435 Newfound Rd., Oneida. You can find more information and apply online at http://disasterassistance.gov or call 800-621-3362 or use the FEMA mobile app.