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Area organizations among Victims of Crime Act grant funding recipients

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Several area organizations were included in the latest round of the federal Victims of Crime Act grant program.

According to a release from the Kentucky Justice and Public Safety Cabinet, 102 organizations across the commonwealth were awarded a total of $14.9 million in funding.

When discussing the funding during his Team Kentucky update Thursday, Governor Andy Beshear said the funds will go towards initiatives that continue providing critical services, hold offenders accountable, and keep Kentuckians safe. The governor referenced a local incident when highlighting the importance of the funding.

“We were reminded at how concerning this level of violence is by an incident that occurred just outside the courthouse in Elizabethtown just last week, so we know that there is still more to do,” Beshear said.

Area organizations that received funding include the Baptist Hardin Foundation (which received $87,274), CASA of the Heartland ($100,000), the Hardin County Sheriff’s Office ($61,429), Silverleaf Sexual Trauma Recovery Services ($304,224), and SpringHaven Inc. ($199,634)

“Each of these organizations is doing God’s work, is being there for people after the worst trauma that is imaginable, and for everyone working at any of these organizations or others that serve victims of crime and of violent crime: thank you for being there for your fellow human being,” Beshear said.

Visit the Justice and Public Safety Cabinet online for more information on the Victims of Crime Act program.

NPS report shows positive economic impact for Lincoln birthplace park

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The National Park Service says the Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Park has a positive impact on the surrounding community. 

A report from the NPS says nearly 240,000 visitors came to the historic park in 2023. The report indicates that visitors to the park spent just over $16 million in surrounding communities, which supported 242 area jobs and had an overall benefit to the local economy of $23.3 million.

The NPS says the historic park is part of a national parks system that welcomed more than 325 million visitors across the united states in 2023. Those visitors spent $26.4 billion in communities near national parks, supporting more than 415,000 jobs and creating an overall economic impact of $55.6 billion nationwide.

Stacy Humphreys, the park’s Chief of Interpretation and Resource Management, says the park offers two unique properties: Lincoln’s birthplace and his first childhood home.

“The two units of the park are separated by 10 miles, so if you go to the birthplace unit, all you have to do is follow U.S. 31E like you’re heading toward Bardstown and that will take you out to Knob Creek,” Humphreys said.

Learn more about the economic impact of the National Parks Service via their website, and learn more about the Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Park via its website and Facebook page.

Kentucky man gets five years in prison for January 6 participation

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A Kentucky man has been sentenced for his participation in the January 6, 2021, attack on the United States Capitol.

Dan Edwin Wilson of Louisville was arrested on May 25, 2023, in Elizabethtown for his actions during the breach of the Capitol during the count of the electoral votes for the 2020 presidential election.

Wilson pled guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to a charge of  Conspiracy to Impede or Injure a Federal Officer, after previously pleading guilty in the District Court for the Western District of Kentucky to charges of Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person and Possession of an Unregistered Firearm. Wilson was sentenced in the D.C. court Wednesday to five years in prison, 36 months of supervised release, and to pay $2,000 in restitution.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia says Wilson began planning to go to the Capitol to take part in the events on January 6 in December, writing in online messages “I am ready to lay my life on the line. It’s time for good men to do bad things.” After joining the march to the Capitol, Wilson began messaging other participants telling them to help push against the barricade at the Capitol. Wilson later entered the Capitol for about 12 minutes.

Wilson traveled to D.C. with David Scott Kuntz of Indiana, who was arrested in March. Kuntz’s case is still pending. 

Wilson’s sentencing comes a day after another Kentucky resident, Michael Sparks of Elizabethtown,  was sentenced to 53 months in prison after a federal jury found him guilty of felony charges of Obstruction of an Official Proceeding and Civil Disorder.The U.S. Attorney’s Office says evidence at Sparks’s trial showed that he was the first of the rioters to enter the Capitol during the attack. Sparks was arrested in Elizabethtown on January 19, 2021.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office says nearly 1,500 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states for their participation in the January 6 attack. The FBI’s investigation remains ongoing and tips are still being collected. If you have information, call 1-800-CALL-FBI or visit tips.fbi.gov.

American Legion Hardin Post 113 hosting open house Saturday

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American Legion Hardin Post 113 invites everybody to learn more about the American Legion at their open house, happening Saturday from 4 to 6 p.m.

“We are hosting an open house event to try and show members of the community and some of the younger active duty and recent vets and their families what American Legion is really about,” said Post 113 Adjunct Drew Chitty. “This event is open to all veterans, sons and daughters of veterans, grandchildren, spouses of veterans. You’ll really be surprised who qualifies as a member.”

He says Post 113 wants the public to see that the Legion isn’t just a place for veterans to sit and talk.

“The American Legion is the largest veterans organization in the world, and Post 113 here in Elizabethtown is the largest American Legion in the state of Kentucky,” Chitty said. “We offer so much more like porch parties, trivia nights, Pictionary, live music, karaoke, special events, dances, dance lessons every week. We have charitable gaming and bingo.”

The open house is also an opportunity for service members and families to connect with services they may not have known were available.

“Whether you served 40 years ago or you just recently got out or you’re still serving, we understand and we will do what we can to help,” Chitty said. “We also have one of the only nine accredited Veteran Service Officers in the state of Kentucky on site that will help with transitioning out of the military or for those who need help with filing or updating their VA benefits, free of charge.”

The open house will be followed by a free comedy show, and Chitty noted while the open house is family-friendly the comedy show is not. American Legion Hardin Post 113 is located at 1251 Ring Road in Elizabethtown.

Man arrested after threat leads to lockdown of three EIS schools

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A threat against a local official led to a soft lockdown at three Elizabethtown Independent School District buildings and a man’s arrest Wednesday.

“Shortly before 12 p.m. (Wednesday) afternoon, we received information indicating that Kelron Decoteau had made a threat against a local judicial official,” said Elizabethtown Police Department Public Information Officer Chris Denham. “We immediately dedicated our full resources to locating and apprehending the suspect.”

The EPD recognized a direct connection with the case to EIS and contacted school officials regarding the potential threat. Helmwood Heights and Morningside elementary schools along with TK Stone Middle School were placed on soft lockdowns shortly before 1 p.m.

“I am pleased to report that shortly before 3 p.m. the suspect was apprehended by troopers from the Kentucky State Police Post 15 in a neighboring county,” Denham said. “He will be charged with Intimidating a Participant in a Legal Process and Terroristic Threatening in the Third Degree.”

EIS says as a precaution the district requested extra security at the three schools during student dismissal, which resulted in slower release times than usual and delayed bus routes. The EPD says at no time was the safety of any students or staff in jeopardy.