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Prosecution wants no surprises from Houck defense’s experts; defense says disclosures within Kentucky law

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Crystal Rogers investigation suspect Brooks Houck appeared via Zoom in Nelson Circuit Court Thursday as Judge Charles Simms III heard arguments on the prosecution’s motion regarding the defense’s expert testimonies.

Special Prosecutor Shane Young said in a motion filed last week that the defense needed to provide more detail on “the bases and reasons for the expert’s opinions” for three of the four submitted experts. Young said the defense provided supplemental information on one of the experts ahead of the hearing, so in court he discussed the defense’s plans to call forth a retired homicide investigator and an expert on interrogations.

Young said more information on the investigator’s testimony needs to be provided if he is going to comment on how the investigation was conducted. Houck’s defense attorney Brian Butler said the investigator is going to discuss how a murder trial investigation is conducted, and told the judge if during preparations they believe he will need to comment specifically on the case they will contact Young.

Young said more the interrogation expert intends to discuss examples of how the Reid Technique, an interrogation method, was violated, but the defense provided no examples of how it was violated. Butler said the defense identified the police interviews provided by the Commonwealth that the expert will be looking at, and said the defense has provided the information it is required to based on Kentucky court procedures.

Simms said he would take the arguments under submission and would make a ruling as quickly as possible. Houck’s trial is scheduled to begin in Warren County on June 24.

DEA Take Back Day collects 620K pounds of pills

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The Drug Enforcement Administration says nearly 4,500 law enforcement agencies across the country helped dispose of more than 620,000 pounds of unwanted or expired medications during the DEA’s 28th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day.

The DEA says in the Louisville Division, which includes Kentucky, Tennessee, and West Virginia, 40,000 pounds were collected, with Kentucky contributing 8,904 pounds.

Captain Willie Wells with the Radcliff Police Department says the RPD collected 13 pounds of prescription pills at their collection event, which was held at the Radcliff Walmart on April 26.

The DEA says the goal of Take Back Days is to prevent drug misuse and abuse, as safely removing drugs that are expired or no longer needed keeps potentially harmful drugs off of the streets and out of the hands of people struggling with addiction. DEA Take Back Days have helped remove nearly 19.8 million pounds of medications over the past 16 years.

Residents who missed Take Back Day but still have medications they wish to dispose of still have options.

“While there are several sponsored drug take back events throughout the year at various places within the community, we have a drug take back box available in our lobby 24 hours a day, 7 days a week,” said Elizabethtown Police Department Public Information Officer Chris Denham. “We accept all medication in pill and tablet form, and we are located at 300 South Mulberry Street.”

The DEA has a list of available dropbox locations on their website.

Kentucky elk hunting permits to be awarded at Kentucky Outdoor Fest Saturday

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Prospective Kentucky elk hunters will learn if they were selected for a permit at a special event this Saturday.

Kentucky Fish and Wildlife will host their third-annual Kentucky Elk and Outdoor Fest from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on May 10 at KYGUNCO, located at 401 Glenwood Drive in Bardstown.

KFW says the festival will feature a vendor village with nearly 100 manufacturers and outfitters from the outdoor industry along with food and drink trucks, live music, and hundreds of chances to win additional prizes. KFW biologists, law enforcement officers, and educators will be on hand to talk about wildlife management efforts and present demonstrations. Hunting and fishing licenses will also be available for purchase.

The highlight of the event is the announcement of the 500 randomly-selected applicants that will be eligible to purchase a 2025 elk hunt permit. KFW says a record 95,743 applications were submitted.

The elk permit draw will also be livestreamed on the KFW Facebook page, and selected applicants will be notified on their profile at fw.ky.gov.

The event is rain or shine. Visit kydoutdoorfest.com for tickets and more information.

Restriping work scheduled for tonight on U.S. 62

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Work is scheduled to take place along U.S. 62 in Elizabethtown Thursday night as part of a larger road diet project.

Kentucky Transportation Cabinet District Four says restriping on Mulberry Street/U.S. 62 will take place west and east of Dixie Avenue/U.S. 31W, with configuration changes between College Street and West Poplar Street to allow for better spacing.

For eastbound traffic on U.S. 62 at the U.S. 31W intersection, the left-turn lane will remain while the thru and right-turn lanes will be combined.

For westbound traffic, the turning and thru lane approaches to the U.S. 31W signal will not change, while the approach to the West Poplar Street signal will change to a dedicated left-turn lane and a single thru lane.

“Trying to get paint applied to the road surface in between all these breaks and rain is kind of difficult,” said KYTC District Four Public Information Officer Chris Jessie. “Right now, the contractor is looking at Thursday night of this week at getting that work done. It’ll only take them the one night to complete everything as far as the striping goes.”

The restriping work will take place after 9 p.m. in order to limit traffic impacts. The restriping sets up resurfacing work scheduled to take place along U.S. 62 later this year. Follow KYTC District Four on social media for project updates.