Local News
Alford pleas entered for threatening informant
A Keavy couple entered Alford pleas in federal court late Friday they conspired to harm a confidential informant with law enforcement who helped facilitate the arrest of one of the defendant’s relatives.
Christina R. Denham, 33, and Brandon B. Pitman, 28, entered Alford pleas to the charges in the indictment that alleged they conspired to threaten to cause bodily injury to another person with intent to retaliate against that person for providing information related to the possible commission of a federal offense in January 2009.
An Alford plea is not an admission of guilt, but an acknowledgment there is enough evidence to convict the accused if the case went to trial.
According to court documents, Kentucky State Police arrested Denham’s aunt, Judy Wilder, for trafficking in a controlled substance last January. KSP used a confidential informant to make a controlled drug purchase from Wilder that led to her arrest.
The documents also showed Denham and Pitman left numerous threatening messages on the informant’s voice mail. Most of the messages threatened the informant’s life, including one in which Denham threatened to kill the children of informant’s ex-girfriend.
The informant turned the voice mails over to an Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agent.
Pitman and Denham are scheduled to appear in federal court in London for sentencing on February 8. The maximum penalty for the offense is 20 years.
- Local News
-
-
‘A plaza of justice’
Kentucky Supreme Court Chief Justice John D. Minton describes Laurel County’s new judicial center as “a perfect addition to downtown London.”
-
As metal prices go up, so do thefts
Every few weeks for the past four months, property has disappeared from Robert Westerfield’s land. The thefts happen in broad daylight and, each time, different vehicles with different drivers show up to openly steal the items. When it happens, whether it’s an antique wood burning stove, an air compressor or an old welder that goes missing, Westerfield gets angry.
-
Looking for a bargain?
Promising bargains and kitsch, the East Ky. 80 yard sale kicked off Thursday, an event that is expected to snake along the highway for a whopping 26 miles.
-
Man arrested for peeping into teen girl’s window
After being caught reportedly peeping in the windows of a Ninth Street home, a London man was charged with voyeurism Sunday and taken to jail.
-
It's empty. Now what?
“What happened in Corbin will not happen in London” is the message Saint Joseph-London administrators want to make clear about the state of the now-vacant hospital on the hill.
-
New sign advertises vets’ parade
Thousands of people will now get the news about London’s Welcome Home parade and celebration for Vietnam veterans as they drive by on Interstate 75.
-
Man injured by boat propeller
A Berea fisherman is in stable condition after his legs were mangled by his boat propeller Thursday on Laurel River Lake.
-
Court approves property tax rates
Laurel County Fiscal Court voted Thursday to leave tax rates just the way they are.
-
Group seeks to improve lifestyle habits
With officials becoming increasingly concerned about the area’s health, a group of stakeholders has formed a new committee, “Creating a Healthier Laurel County.”
-
Tobacco time
Under the bright sun, Kevin Cornett slowly drove his tractor Wednesday as a line of tobacco plants marched over his head. Beside him, his brother Brent drove a tractor pulling a trailer on which the yellow-green plants collected.
- More Local News Headlines
-
