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One dead after Meade County crash

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The Kentucky State Police is investigating a fatal collision which occurred in Meade County Saturday night.

KSP Post Four says at about 11:15 p.m. on May 31 the Meade County Sheriff’s Office requested troopers investigate a two-vehicle collision near the 4100 block of KY 144/Payneville Road.

The KSP says the preliminary investigation indicates that 20-year-old Robert Eldridge of Battletown was driving west on Payneville Road when he attempted to pass another vehicle. Eldridge’s car then struck an eastbound vehicle operated by John Kaw of Louisville.

Eldridge was pronounced dead at the scene by the Meade County Coroner’s Office. Kaw and a passenger in Eldridge’s vehicle suffered life-threatening injuries and were flown to the University of Louisville Hospital for treatment.

The KSP says the affected portion of Payneville Road was closed for several hours for accident reconstruction. The investigation of the collision remains ongoing.

KYTC gearing up for resurfacing and bridge deck work in the area

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Kentucky Transportation Cabinet District Four crews and contractors are gearing up for work on several area projects.

KYTC District Four says preparation work gets under way June 9 for asphalt resurfacing on an 11-mile stretch of the Bluegrass Parkway. Work will take place between mile markers 24 and 35. The KYTC says traffic will be reduced to one lane in varying configurations as the work progresses. Work will begin with barrier wall setting at bridge locations along the stretch. Work is to be completed by November 1.

Meanwhile, work has begun on a series of bridge projects in Hardin County to replace bridge deck driving surfaces. 

KY 1375 is reduced to one lane at the bridge over the Nolin River, with that project due to be completed by June 20.

KY 84 is reduced to one lane at the bridge over the Western Kentucky Parkway. That work is scheduled to be completed by June 13. When completed, crews will shift to work on KY 210 for the bridge over Middle Creek.

Varying lane closures will be in place on KY 361 for work on the bridge over U.S. 31W near Fort Knox. That work should be completed by July 7.

Motorists are urged to use caution and minimize distractions when approaching and driving through work zones. Slow down and pay attention to signage and flaggers.

Follow KYTC District Four on social media for project updates.

Jury finds Steven Lawson guilty

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The first suspect tried in the Crystal Rogers investigation has been found guilty of both the charges he faced.

After about 2 hours and 20 minutes of deliberation Friday, a jury of nine women and three men at the Warren County Justice Center found Steven Lawson guilty of Class B Felony Conspiracy to Commit Murder, which carries a term of 10 to 20 years in prison, and Class D Felony Tampering with Physical Evidence, which carries a term of 1 to 5 years in prison.

During the sentencing hearing that followed the announcement of the verdict, defense attorney Darren Wolff asked the jury to show mercy on Lawson, stating that no evidence of murder was presented in the trial. Wolff requested a concurrent sentence of 11 years.

Special Prosecutor Shane Young said Lawson was “all in” on the conspiracy and had several opportunities to help the Ballard family find closure in the decade that followed Rogers’s disappearance. Young said: “Don’t take pity on him. Don’t take mercy on him. He took those kids’ mother away from them.” Young asked the jury to “give him everything you can because he gave diddle to them.”

After about 20 minutes of further deliberation, the jury recommended a concurrent sentence of 17 years. A sentencing hearing in Nelson Circuit Court was scheduled for August 6.

Lawson’s son Joseph, who faces the same charges as his father, and Brooks Houck, who is charged with Murder and Tampering with Physical Evidence, will go to trial in Warren County on June 24.

Former E-Town man sentenced on medical fraud charge

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A former Hardin County man has been sentenced on federal charges.

Pedro Reyes, formerly of Elizabethtown, will serve two years and nine months in prison followed by two years of supervised release for “engaging in a conspiracy to commit health care fraud in connection with durable medical equipment businesses.”

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Kentucky, Reyes plead guilty to one count of Conspiracy to Commit Health Care Fraud. The U.S. Attorney’s Office says Reyes, through multiple companies, fraudulently billed Medicare for durable medical equipment, such as back, knee, and shoulder braces, that was “medically unnecessary, unwanted by patients, and not prescribed by the patients’ medical providers.”

According to the plea agreement entered into by Reyes in February, the scheme was run between February 2019 and April 2021. Reyes is ordered to pay a little more than $6 million in restitution as part of the sentencing.

The case was investigated by the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Inspector General. The U.S. Attorney’s Office says there is no parole in the federal system.

One dead after Breckinridge County crash

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The Kentucky State Police is investigating a fatal collision in Breckinridge County Thursday.

According to KSP Post Four, at around 2 p.m. on May 29 the Breckinridge County Sheriff’s Office requested troopers investigate a single-vehicle collision near the intersection of KY 144 and Cart Manning Crossing Road.

The KSP says the preliminary investigation indicates that 44-year-old Michael Tropp of Jasper, Indiana, was driving south on KY 144 in a commercial tractor-trailer “when the passenger side tire left the roadway, causing the semi to exit the roadway down an embankment before striking a tree.”

Tropp was declared dead at the scene by the Breckinridge County Coroner’s Office. The KSP’s investigation is ongoing.