WQXE NEWS

The Hodgenville Police Department and the Livin’ Well LaRue Coalition are partnering with local pharmacies to give area residents the opportunity to safely dispose of expired or unneeded medications.

Hodgenville Police Chief James Richardson said making pharmacies available as a drop off site is less intimidating for some residents.

“We’ve always had a pill return,” Richardson said. “I’ve been here for 12 years, and it was here before I got here, so we’ve always had that option at the police department, but kind of like with the Narcan that we started offering free at the police department, folks sometimes don’t want to come to the police to drop off drugs and stuff.”

All three pharmacies in LaRue County are participating.

“What we’ve done is we purchased two drop boxes and furnished those free of charge to the two pharmacies that didn’t have one, and then the police department has taken on the responsibility to empty those once a month, and then we dispose of the drugs,” Richardson said.

Richardson said many of the pills illegally obtained on the street were originally legally prescribed and obtained, and families often are left with medication from a loved one when they die.

“A lot of people just toss them in the trash or flush them down the toilet, or they don’t know what to do with it, so we’re happy to be able to give them the opportunity to have somewhere safe so we can dispose of it properly so it doesn’t wind up in the hand of somebody that doesn’t deserve it or it gets into the environment and does damage that way,” Richardson said.

The HPD says the first emptying of the drop boxes netted 21.6 pounds of pills.

Human remains found in Brandenburg last month have been identified.

The Brandenburg Police Department says the Kentucky Medical Examiner’s Office contacted the department Wednesday with a positive identification on the remains. The person was identified as Cheryl Smalarz of Brandenburg.

The BPD says Cheryl Smalarz was the listed victim in a missing person’s case the department was investigating. She was identified through dental records obtained as part of the investigation. The BPD says: “The preliminary cause of death is unknown and there are no signs of trauma or foul play.”

According to the previous release on the case, a Brandenburg resident discovered the remains in a field behind their home on the 1300 block of Old State Road on May 10. The BPD and the Meade County Coroner processed the scene and collected the remains, which were transported to the Kentucky Medical Examiner’s Office in Louisville.

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet is warning residents to be wary of an ongoing scam attempt. 

The KYTC says fraudulent text messages from scammers impersonating state agencies have been sent out with suspicious links meant to resemble Kentucky government agency websites.

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 KYTC does not collect traffic ticket fees and does not notify customers of traffic violations. If you receive one of these texts, do not click the link.

The KYTC says if you have provided any personal information, you should contact your bank immediately. Scams may be reported to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov. Scams may also be reported to the Kentucky Attorney General’s Office at ag.ky.gov, and you can forward scam texts to 7726 to alert your mobile provider.