WQXE NEWS

A Nelson County woman will serve 20 years in federal prison after her conviction on charges related to the sexual exploitation of children.

Kathlen Flener was found guilty of two counts of Sexual Exploitation of a Child and one count of Distribution of Child Pornography. The U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Western District of Kentucky says Flener used an online social media app “to distribute two sexually-explicit images of the minor victims to an adult male living in Australia.”

Flener was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison, followed by a term of 30 years of supervised release. Flener was also ordered to pay $3,000 to each victim in restitution.

The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations Nashville with assistance from the Kentucky State Police. The case was brought forth as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative that aims to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse.

The U.S. Attorney’s office says there is no parole in the federal system.

McDonald’s restaurants are recognizing the crew members who have played a role in building the “Mcdonald’s Experience” in local communities with their inaugural One in Eight Day.

“Across the U.S., one in eight Americans have had work experience at McDonald’s in their lifetime, so McDonald’s corporate is pushing out January 8, 1/8/26, just to show appreciation to current career members and management teams, and then former employees that worked at McDonald’s,” said Kristi Wright, the community and school engagement liaison for Burrell Family McDonald’s, which owns 16 area McDonald’s restaurants. 

The celebration highlights the impact the Golden Arches has had in shaping career paths, developing leaders, and providing opportunities across generations.

Mayene Towns is a crew trainer at the West Dixie Avenue McDonald’s. She says the job has a good atmosphere with good people, and she appreciates the support of the Burrell company.

“They have stuff for scholarships,” Towns said. “If you want to go to school, they help pay for you to go to school. If you have any type of emergency that comes up, a personal emergency, they will help you with that as well, so they do focus a lot on the employees. They have good benefits as far as bonuses.”

Wright says the local company has played a major role in her life, beginning when she got a job at Mcdonald’s when she was 16.

“I learned so much about teamwork, about dealing with customers, interacting with customers, service, my teammates at work, and it carried me through college, through my career in education for 29 years, and I am so happy and fortunate to be back with the Burrell family,” Wright said.

Check out other stories at www.mcdonalds1in8.com.

An Elizabethtown man charged in the accidental overdose death of a Hardin County teenager received his sentence Monday.

Hardin Circuit Judge Larry Ashlock accepted the commonwealth’s plea deal with Damien Felker, who pleaded guilty to all of the charges a grand jury indicted him on in December of 2024 including first-degree Trafficking in a Controlled Substance Resulting in Death. Under the terms of the deal, Felker will serve 10 years in prison. He is eligible for parole after five years, but the deal is contingent on Felker testifying against other defendants, with the deal voided and Felker serving 20 years if he testifies untruthfully.

Prior to Ashlock’s decision, statements were made to the court by Kristin and Scott Willitt regarding the death of their son, 17-year-old Hayden Willitt, in December of 2024. That month, the Elizabethtown Police Department disclosed their investigation into the death of an Elizabethtown teenager who ingested a tablet designed to look like a prescription narcotic that was actually laced with fentanyl.

Felker is the second person to be sentenced in the investigation after Aaydn Kristopher-Nelson Durbin was sentenced to 10 years in prison in October of 2025. Additionally, Tyler Wayne Cull of Louisville was indicted on federal drug charges in August of 2025 in relation to the case.