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Meade County man arrested for murder among several sheriff’s office investigations

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A Meade County man is in custody for murder.

The Meade County Sheriff’s Office says Derrick Ford of Battletown was arrested Thursday and charged with Murder following an investigation into the death of Crystal Fetch, Ford’s partner. Ford is lodged in the Meade County Detention Center and the investigation is ongoing.

Ford’s arrest was part of a series of investigations by the sheriff’s office last week. 

A joint investigation by the Meade County and Breckinridge County Sheriff’s offices along with the Greater Hardin County Narcotics Task Force led to a traffic stop on January 30 on the bypass just outside Brandenburg city limits. 

Officers searched the vehicle of Michael Heavrin, who is suspected of trafficking methamphetamine in the two counties. The search led to the seizure of heroin, marijuana, and about 43 grams of meth. Heavrin was placed under arrest and lodged in the Meade County Detention Center.

Officers also seized drugs and arrested a wanted fugitive during a search of a residence on Eagles Nest Drive Wednesday, a search of another residence on Wednesday, and a search of a residence and a traffic stop Thursday. The sheriff’s office says these operations led to the seizure of approximately six ounces of meth, six grams of heroin, 1.5 pounds of marijuana, a firearm, and several items of paraphernalia. 

The sheriff’s office says it will “continue to vigorously attempt to apprehend and prosecute all individuals involved in the trafficking of controlled substances.”

(Photo Credit: Meade County Detention Center)

Elizabethtown hires former EPD officer Neary as enforcement officer for recovery residences

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As the city of Elizabethtown prepares to begin enforcement of its new recovery residence certification ordinance, the city has sworn in the person who will be tasked with keeping the facilities in check.

The city posted on the City of Elizabethtown Government Facebook page that former Elizabethtown Police Department Officer David Neary has been sworn in as the city’s Recovery Residence Enforcement Officer. Neary returns to service after retiring from the EPD in 2015.

Recovery residences must be in compliance with the city’s ordinance by March 15. Neary will be in charge of inspecting the facilities, of which there are more than 150 in the city. A first violation will result in a $500 per day fine, and a second violation increases the fine to $1,000 a day.

When discussing the ordinance with facility owners January 29, city attorney Ken Howard said the city is prepared to back up its new enforcement officer.

“The City of Elizabethtown is committed to its ordinance, and is committed to enforcing state law,” Howard said. “They have amended the budget last month, and have hired an individual on a full-time basis that will be the compliance officer for recovery residence law in the city of Elizabethtown.”

Elizabethtown Mayor Jeff Gregory said it is important for the city to get ready for enforcement quickly in order to prevent problems from developing later on.

“It’s not everybody, and we realize that,” Gregory said. “We know that, but there are some apples in the cart that, as you all know in any profession or anything that we do, spoil the whole bunch sometimes, so it was imperative that we look into what the issues were and try and put some kind of enforcement in place or certification, regulation in place so we could find out who is who” Gregory said.

The ordinance is available for viewing on the city’s website.

Elizabethtown driver licensing office open at new location

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The Elizabethtown Driver Licensing Regional Office is set to open at its new permanent location Monday.

The office will be moving from its current location at 1055 North Mulberry Street to 916 North Mulberry Street, which is connected to the Cabinet of Health and Family Services office next door to Dewster’s.

“While it’s a very short distance of a move, we think it’s gonna be far superior and leaps and bounds to what we currently are able to offer,” said Kentucky Real ID Project Manager Sarah Jackson. 

She said the new office space has many benefits.

“It can handle more volume, and more importantly the volume that has been coming will be handled more efficiently, more comfortably,” Jackson said. “It provides a larger reception area. Currently there is hardly any indoor waiting space, and it will include increased parking.”

The new office also allows for better logistical options.

“The people who are attending for testing, which is conducted by the Kentucky State Police, will actually use a different entrance,” Jackson said. “There won’t be as much of a bottleneck, etc. We’re very hopeful and we’re very excited about it. We’re hopeful for what it brings in terms of improved service to Kentuckians.”

All Kentucky licensing services will be available at the new office, and Jackson said now is a good time to upgrade your license.

“I do want to urge Kentuckians to give consideration to getting a Real ID because the Real ID deadline for enforcement set by the federal government and TSA is May of 2025,” Jackson said.

The office will be open Mondays through Fridays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and as with any of the regional offices any Kentuckian from any county will be able to use the Elizabethtown location.

Draft of new Hardin County Comprehensive Plan now available for review

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After a multi-year, multi-meeting process, Hardin County Planning officials are ready to share the draft plan of the county’s updated comprehensive plan, and the plan went live at an open house Tuesday.

“State law requires a comprehensive plan in order to have zoning, so the county’s first comprehensive plan was developed and written in 1979 when the Planning Commission was adopted by fiscal court,” said Hardin County Planning Director and Building Official Adam King.

Tuesday’s open house provided the first opportunity for feedback on the draft plan.

We had a really great event,” King said. “Almost 100 people signed in. We got some good feedback. The draft plan is available on the comp. plan website (www.hardincountyplan.org) or it’s available on the Planning Commission’s website (www.hcpdc.com).” 

The plan is an update from the last comprehensive plan drafted in 2019.

“We’ve got revised and reorganized goals and objectives, a revised future land use map and a revised planning area map,” King said. “For the first time we’ve got a chapter dedicated to agriculture.”

The new plan refines some of the existing planning areas in the county, and the anticipated impact of BlueOval SK can be seen in those plans.

“We’ve increased the size of the Glendale Rural Village, we’ve increased the urban area between Elizabethtown, Cecilia, and Glendale,” King said. “That’s where we are predominantly seeing builders wanting to build new homes. We kind of fine-tuned the Interstate Commercial Area and the industrial area at the I-65 exit in Glendale, and then we’ve got a totally new area we call the South Urban Area that runs south from Glendale to Sonora and Upton along I-65 and U.S. 31W.” 

The plan will go up for an adoption vote before the county’s Planning Commission, then will be submitted to the Hardin County Fiscal Court for final adoption. Residents can still provide feedback at www.hardincountyplan.org.

LaRue County man gets prison time for participation in Jan. 6 Capitol attack

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A LaRue County man has been sentenced for his actions during the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Clayton Ray Mullins of Magnolia will serve 30 months in prison followed by 36 months of supervised release after pleading guilty to a felony charge of Assaulting, Resisting, or Impeding Certain Officers. Mullins will also pay about $32,000 in restitution and about $50,000 in fines. 

Mullins was arrested in February of 2021 in Mayfield after an investigation by the FBI’s Washington and Louisville field offices. He was identified through photos taken during the Capitol attack.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia says Mullins was actively involved with other rioters in pushing against the barricade and officers outside the Capitol on January 6. Mullins later waved other rioters into the tunnel at the Lower West Terrace entrance to the Capitol and joined other rioters in attempting to push into the building.

Later, when positioned on the Capitol steps, Mullins began attempting to grab the leg of a Metropolitan Police Department officer who had been knocked to the ground. He eventually succeeded and the officer was dragged down the Capitol steps. Mullins pushed another officer who attempted to get back to the Capitol archway down the steps and into the crowd of rioters.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office says more than 1,200 individuals have been charged for their involvement in the attack on the Capitol. Anybody with information can still send tips to the FBI.