WQXE News

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet is warning residents that a scam involving phony texts posing as the cabinet has not gone away. 

The KYTC says the scam messages warn customers of unpaid traffic tickets and say that a “DMV violation” will be reported and “driving privileges” will be suspended if payment is not sent immediately. The text includes a link that is formatted to look similar to Kentucky government website addresses.

The KYTC is still working on having fraudulent websites related to the scam taken down. In the meantime, the cabinet is reminding residents that they do not collect traffic ticket fines or notify customers of violations via text. If you see text messages using phrases such as “KDOT” or “DMV” they are not from the KYTC, and be wary of links made to look like the KYTC’s website drive.ky.gov.

If you receive a suspicious text message, never click the link. If you did or provided personal or financial information, contact your bank immediately. You can report the text to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov, or you can report it to the Kentucky Attorney General’s Office at ag.ky.gov.

American Legion Post 113 invites the public to help raise awareness for veteran suicide prevention during their Be the One Walk, which will be taking place this Saturday in Elizabethtown.

“The distance of the walk is 2.2 miles,” said Tom Folsom with the Legion post.” We’ll leave the Southeast Christian Church and we’ll walk to the traffic circle and back, and it comes out to be 2.2 miles which represents the 22 veterans a day who commit suicide.”

Daniel O’Dell with the Legion post says all are welcome to participate in the walk and help spread the message.

“We can’t have enough attention to the mental health of our military and veterans,” O’Dell said. “It’s just something that a lot of times during that transition, we don’t take care of enough, so when we raise awareness like this, it lets not just our military and veterans know that we are there for them, but the public let them know that, ‘hey, we’re going to support you no matter what you are going through.’”

No registration is required. Participants should get to the Southeast Christian Church, located at 600 North Dixie Highway in Elizabethtown, by 7:45 a.m. Saturday, with the walk beginning at 8.

“Even if you can’t walk the whole route and you can just show up to show your support, that’s very important to do that,” Folsom said. “Even if you can’t get around and get down to the two miles, please just show up and show your support to bring awareness to veteran suicide.”

Contact Folsom at the Legion post or visit the American Legion Hardin Post 113 Facebook page for more information.

One of the men convicted in the Crystal Rogers investigation is requesting a new trial.

Attorneys for Joseph Lawson, who on July 8 was found guilty of Conspiracy to Commit Murder and Tampering with Physical Evidence for his role in the disappearance of Rogers, filed a “Motion for the Judgement Notwithstanding the Verdict, or In the Alternative, Motion for a New Trial” with the Nelson Circuit Court Monday.

Lawson’s attorneys argue in the motion that his case should have been severed from Brooks Houck, who was found guilty of Murder and Tampering with Physical Evidence in the same trial as Lawson. The motion states: “The introduction of Brooks Houck’s recorded statements without him being subject to cross-examination denied (Lawson) his right to present a defense and his right to confrontation.”

The motion also states that the conviction of Steven Lawson a month prior to the Houck/Lawson trial “was an elephant in the room the entire trial.” The motion argues that the court denied Joseph Lawson’s defense the opportunity to strike jurors with knowledge of Steven Lawson’s case which was featured in Warren County media, and therefore Joseph Lawson’s case was subject to pretrial publicity.

The motion also raises concerns with what the defense argues is “prejudicial over-simplification of the requirements for a Murder conviction” in Houck’s case spilling over into Lawson’s case, along with concerns with instructions given to the jury prior to deliberations.

The motion will be heard during Lawson’s sentencing hearing, which is scheduled for August 21 in Nelson Circuit Court.