WQXE News

A Nelson County man faces charges after allegedly assaulting an officer when attempting to flee a traffic stop. 

Dustin M. Thompson of New Hope faces multiple charges including Strangulation, Assault of a Police Officer, and Disarming a Peace Officer following his arrest Friday.

According to the Kentucky State Police, shortly after midnight on June 7 a trooper attempted to conduct a traffic stop on a vehicle on Charlestown Road for a traffic violation. The KSP says the driver of the vehicle did not stop when the trooper activated his emergency lights and began to flee.

The pursuit continued into Marion County on Sulphur Lick Road and ended when the vehicles reached a dead end. The KSP says the driver, later identified as Thompson, exited the vehicle and fled into a wooded area. The pursuing trooper was able to catch up to Thompson, at which time the KSP says he assaulted the officer and fled the area.

Troopers and other area law enforcement began searching the area for Thompson. The KSP posted on Facebook shortly before noon Friday that Thompson had been apprehended. He was booked into the Marion County Detention Center at 1:41 p.m. Friday.

The KSP says the trooper was treated for injuries at an area hospital and has since been released.

Registration is open to vote in the November 5 general election, and Hardin County Clerk Brian D. Smith says getting registered is a simple process.

“Registering to vote has never been easier,” Smith said. “The quickest and easiest way for most. folks would be to visit govote.ky.gov. They can do that on the computer or their phone and they can register to vote that way. They can also call or visit their county clerk’s office. The deadline to register to vote and participate in the November election is October 7, so don’t wait until the deadline. Go ahead and get it done early.”

The Kentucky Secretary of State’s Office says in the 10 days voter registration was open in May after the primary election, 5,723 voters were removed from the voter rolls. More than 4,800 removed voters were deceased, 451 moved out of state, and 350 were convicted of felonies.

5,496 new voters got registered in May. Republican registration increased by 1,410 voters and independent or other registrations increased by 915. Democratic registrations decreased by 2,552 voters.

Visit the Kentucky Secretary of State’s website for more information on voter registration.

Kentucky was one of only eight states that saw a decrease in the number of drug overdose deaths last year.

The governor’s office has released information on the 2023 Kentucky Drug Overdose Fatality Report, which reported 1,984 overdose deaths last year, down 9.8 percent from 2022 and the second year in a row the state has seen a decrease.

Lincoln Trail District Health Department Harm Reduction Manager Jennifer Osborne said progress was also seen in Hardin County.

“It was 50 in 2022 and in 2023 it was 38, so that is a significant decrease for Hardin County, and that is something definitely to celebrate as far as the decrease goes,” Osborne said. “Obviously 38 individuals who die from a preventable death, which is a fatal drug overdose, that means we still have work to do. That’s 38 too many.”

Osborne said increased access to naloxone, which is used to reverse the effects of an overdose, was one of the health department’s major initiatives at combating overdose deaths. The health department also partnered with the Hardin County Coroner’s Office to establish an Overdose Fatality Review Team which looks at similarities between fatal overdoses and brings in multiple community resources to review the details.

“That’s everybody from treatment programs to our healthcare system to law enforcement, the justice system,” Osborne said. “It’s all of these individuals and agencies coming together to look and see if there are any gaps? Is there any way for us to improve upon services so that we can reduce the number of people that are dying from a drug overdose?”

Osborne says the county is still looking at establishing an overdose quick response team and a syringe service program, both of which were recommended when the county was designated a Recovery Ready Community this past January. Area residents looking for recovery resources can go online to findhelpnowky.org or contact the KY Help Call Center at 1-833-859-4357.

The full overdose fatality report can be found on the governor’s website.