WQXE News

Three suspects in cases of recent interest made appearances in Hardin Circuit Court Tuesday.

Dustin Caudill, the Elizabethtown man accused of shooting and killing two men and then setting the Henon Lane residence they were in on fire in October 2024, appeared in person as his defense attorneys discussed their motion to strike aggravating circumstances, in this case Caudill’s conviction for killing his mother and brother in 1994. Attorney Ty Howorth said penalties for a modern adult offense cannot be influenced by penalties previously issued for a youthful offender. Commonwealth’s Attorney Shane Young said the point the commonwealth is trying to make is simply: “Murder is murder. It is a capital offense.” Hardin Circuit Judge Larry Ashlock said he would take the arguments under advisement. Ashlock also said he is not willing to continue the case into the fall or winter as requested by the defense, but he would be willing to move the June 8 trial date back a few weeks. Howorth said she would check the availability of the defense’s expert witnesses.

Meanwhile, Chastity Nettles appeared via Zoom from the Boyd County Regional Juvenile Detention Center for an arraignment hearing. Nettles is charged with Murder after in January she allegedly “was in a vehicle in the Lowe’s parking lot” and obtained a firearm belonging to Bryan Harbison “and shot another female juvenile in the chest, killing her.” Lindsey Yates with the Department of Public Advocacy entered a not guilty plea on Nettle’s behalf. A pre-trial conference was scheduled for July 14.

Finally, Christopher Barnes of Glendale appeared via Zoom from the Hardin County Detention Center for an arraignment hearing. Ashlock said a grand jury returned indictments for Barnes on three counts of Class C Felony Unlawful Use of Electronic Means to Induce a Minor to Engage in Sexual or Other Prohibited Activities and three misdemeanor charges. Those charges are related to Barnes’s arrest following an investigation by the Santa Claus Police Department in Indiana “after discovering the suspect procuring a minor online.” Barnes requested a public defender and a not guilty plea was entered on his behalf. A pre-trial conference was scheduled for June 16.

The Elizabethtown City Council met for a special meeting Monday.

A public hearing was held on the city’s Municipal Road Aid funding.

“The city currently has $0 in carryover funds in its Municipal Road funds and will receive approximately $601,857.59 during the fiscal year 2027,” said Elizabethtown Mayor Jeff Gregory. “The LGEA fund has $0 in carryover funds and will receive approximately $0 during the fiscal year 2027.”

A zoning map amendment setting the zoning for the Woodland Corridor to Neighborhood Commercial (C-2) and Regional Commercial (C-3) was approved on its second reading. The council also approved a $12,848.98 Downtown Redevelopment Grant to Fourth Generation Properties LLC for 108 East Dixie Avenue, and the council approved the accepting of chemical bids for the city’s wastewater treatment plant.

“This will be from CITCO Water,” said City Attorney Ken Howard, reading from the municipal order. “Clorine, in the amount of $2,000 per ton, and sulfur dioxide, in the amount of $1,775 per ton, and there is no delivery charge for those products.”

Also meeting Monday was the Radcliff City Council for a called meeting and work session.

The council approved three zoning amendments on second reading. The first rezoned 253 Battle Training Road from Residential-2 to Residential-4. The second rezoned property on the south side of Battle Training Road between North Dixie Highway and Blair Hill Lane from Residential-2 to Residential-4. The third rezoned 3366 South Wilson Road from Residential-2 to Commercial. An ordinance which amended the city’s zoning regulations to align policies concerning qualified manufactured homes with state statutes was also approved on its second reading.

During the work session, Radcliff Police Chief Jeff Cross discussed updates to the RPD’s Code of Conduct, all of which are in line with Kentucky Association of Police Chiefs standards.

“Some policies have a complete standalone policy in itself that explains everything in detail, and then we have ‘rules and regulations’ that touches on basics and the dos and don’ts of work relationships within the facility and how we do things,” said Cross.

Both councils will be conducting budget meetings this week. The Radcliff City Council will next meet in a called meeting on May 18. The Elizabethtown City Council will next meet in a regular meeting on June 1.

Area nonprofits will be looking for extra support Tuesday as they participate in KY Gives Day.

“It is a chance for area nonprofits to showcase all the great work that they do throughout the year in giving back to the community, and it also makes it a very easy way for the community to give to them through the online portal,” said Central Kentucky Community Foundation Communications Coordinator Erin Hahn.

The online portal is open at www.kygives.org through midnight.

Multiple opportunities for matching donations and prize donations will be available throughout the day, meaning even a small donation can make a large impact.

“Throughout the last 11 years, these organizations regionally, so this is in our nine-county region that CKCF works with, we’ve raised over $1 million dollars,” Hahn said. “Just last year it was over $200,000, so those $10, $20, and $5, they do really add up, which is fantastic.”

Visit www.kygves.org to make a donation, or to see the nonprofit leaderboard and match or prize opportunities.