WQXE NEWS

Lawyers for Dustin Caudill, the Elizabethtown man accused of shooting and killing two men and then setting the Henon Lane residence they were in on fire in October 2024, made their case for the removal of death penalty consideration in Caudill’s upcoming murder trial.

The defense called two witnesses during a hearing in Hardin Circuit Court Wednesday. The first was Dr. Jean Hinkebein, who is currently a military psychologist at Fort Campbell. Hinkebien testified that she was Caudill’s therapist at the Central Kentucky Treatment Center when he was brought in at 15 or 16 years old, stating that he struggled with mood symptoms, and Hinkebein said she was worried about Caudill going from juvenile to adult facilities because she did not think he was “criminally minded”. 

Hinkebien said when Caudill entered the Department of Corrections as an adult he was depressed and “pretty well shut down emotionally” and noted he made a suicide attempt in 1998. Hinkebein said she diagnosed Caudill with post-traumatic stress disorder, based on childhood trauma, while he was under her care.

The defense’s second witness was neuropsychologist Dr. Sidney Binks, who testified that based on his interviews with Caudill, behavioral analysis, and review of his medical history, he “concluded that he does have a severe, serious mental illness” and diagnosed him with severe bipolar disorder with psychotic features and anxious distress. Binks testified that Caudill’s medical history shows he was first diagnosed as bipolar in 1996, with the diagnosis being noted multiple times between then and 2023. When asked if Caudill meets the criteria for state statutes, Binks said: “My opinion is very solid in believing that he had a mental illness, that it was involved in the commission of the incident offense, and that he meets the standard as written.”

9th Judicial Circuit Commonwealth’s Attorney Shane Young said his office needed time to request specific documents in the case. The commonwealth will proceed with its arguments on the defense’s motion when the court reconvenes for another hearing on February 26.

The City of Elizabethtown Planning and Development Department will host a neighborhood meeting on the North Downtown Master Plan Thursday from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Central Avenue Baptist Church.

“This is actually the second meeting that we’ve held in this neighborhood,” said City Administrator Ed Poppe at Tuesday’s Elizabethtown City Council meeting. “The first meeting was back in the fall. We got a lot of good public input on concerns that the neighbors had.”

Poppe said the “basic boundaries” of the neighborhood are South Mulberry Street on the north, the railroad tracks on the south, Williams Street on the east, and East Poplar Street on the west.

The meeting is an open house format with no formal presentation, so residents may come and go as they please.

“We’re looking for more input from the property owners in that area,” Poppe said. “We heard issues about compatibility of land uses and walkability in the community, so we’ve got some information that our consultants TSW has put together.”

Poppe said the neighborhood will be the target area for the next round of Community Development Block Grant funding the city receives.

“We hope to spend a number of years in the neighborhood helping to redevelop the area, place some infill residential housing in some areas, upgrade pedestrian access through sidewalks and trails in the area, and also probably look at street lighting,” Poppe said.

Contact the Elizabethtown Planning and Development office for more information.

Kentuckians are encouraged to take precautions during Spring Wildfire Hazard Season, which runs now through April 30.

According to the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet, during Spring Wildfire Hazard Season burning is prohibited in or within 150 feet of any woodland or brushland between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m.

The Energy and Environment Cabinet says the Kentucky Division of Forestry responds to more than 1,000 wildfires annually, with 517 occurring during last year’s Spring Wildfire Hazard Season. Officials say 99 percent of all wildfires in Kentucky are caused by human activity.

“I’ve been on fires where it’s been anything from a flicked cigarette to a farmer,” Radcliff Deputy Fire Marshal Tommy Crane said. “He’s bushhogging his corn stalk stubble, and he has a bearing overheat, and I’ve actually had where he’ll have little spot fires all throughout his field because he didn’t realize it was catching things on fire as he drove around.”

Forestry officials ask Kentuckians to be knowledgeable of all outdoor burning restrictions, and in addition to Spring Wildfire Hazard Season avoid burning during times of dry, windy conditions. Incorporate “firewise” practices around your home and property.

Visit the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet’s website for more information and safety tips.