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E-Town man “accidentally but extremely recklessly” shoots teenager in face

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An Elizabethtown man prohibited from possessing a firearm was arrested after an accidental shooting saturday.

“Around 9:30 Saturday evening, we responded to the 600 block of Stewart Court in reference to the report of a shooting,” said Elizabethtown Police Department Public Information Officer Chris Denham. “Upon arrival, investigators determined that 20-year-old Joseph Hampton Roberts accidentally, but extremely recklessly, fired a handgun and struck a 16-year-old male in the face.”

The juvenile victim was airlifted from the scene with critical but non-life-threatening injuries.

“Hampton Roberts, who is on felony diversion and prohibited from possessing a firearm, was arrested and charged with Possession of a Handgun by a Convicted Felon,” Denham said.

The investigation is ongoing. Upon completion of the investigation, the case will be presented to a grand jury to consider further charges.

Hardin County Animal Shelter awarded $20,000 grant

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The Hardin County Animal Shelter is celebrating after receiving financial support from Petco Love.

“It’s a Petco Love Grant we filled out for quite a while ago, and honestly we hadn’t heard anything so we didn’t think we were going to be one of the recipients, but it’s $20,000 that we can put forward towards anything that’s on the life-saving effort that’s not currently in the budget,” said Hardin County Animal Care and Control Director Mike McNutt. 

The grant can be used on projects such as sustainable food storage and medical equipment. McNutt said the financial support from the grant is great, but it doesn’t compare to the support the animal shelter regularly gets from the community.

“We recently had put out a plea because we are trying to keep the animals on a constant food supply of the same brand of food, and I want to say that this county has always stepped up and helped us out in great measure to the point to where we’ve had to find other places to store food,” McNutt said.

Responsible pet owners can support the animal shelter and take advantage of their Clear the Kennel special which runs now through May 4. All adoptions for dogs ages 5 months and older are free and include normal vetting including spaying or neutering.

McNutt said the shelter is at capacity and needs to get dogs to good homes, but he advises that you should only dive in if you are ready to make a commitment.

“People don’t understand that when they’re at the shelter and we get them to where they’re housebroken there, they’re going to have to have an adjustment period at home before they’re housebroken there, and their training has to be consistent once they get there, so when we say that animal is housebroken it doesn’t mean they’re going to be housebroken the first week in your house because they have to adjust to it,” McNutt said.

The animal shelter is open Mondays through Saturdays from 12 to 4 p.m. at 220 Peterson Drive in Elizabethtown.

KYTC advises of lane closures on Bluegrass Parkway; asking for feedback on Bullitt County project

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The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet has information on a project starting this week on the Bluegrass Parkway and wants information from the public on an upcoming project in Bullitt County. 

Commuters heading east on the Bluegrass Parkway should be on the lookout for lane closures that will take place over the next several weeks between mile markers 39 and 43 in Washington County. 

Contract crews will be laying asphalt as part of a resurfacing project that’s scheduled to be completed by August 1. Drivers should slow down when approaching work zones and pay close attention.

Meanwhile, the KYTC will be hosting a public meeting to gather input on design plans for the Blue Lick Road enhancement project. That project will improve safety and reduce congestion along Blue Lick Road from John Harper Highway to West Triangle Lane.

The meeting will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 9 at Hebron Middle School in Shepherdsville. Anybody interested in providing feedback may drop in anytime during meeting hours. An online survey will be made available after the meeting for those unable to attend.

More information on these projects and more can be found on the KYTC’s website.

Defense and prosecution in Crystal Rogers investigation cases send change of venue proposal to judge

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Attorneys for Crystal Rogers investigation suspects Brooks Houck, Steven Lawson, and Joseph Lawson and Special Prosecutor Shane Young are in agreement on a new venue for the case. The decision is now up to Nelson Circuit Court Judge Charles Simms III.

Orders filed in the case Thursday state that the involved parties have met and agreed on a venue for the trial. Prior to approving the agreement, the court will review the proposed facility and will provide additional proceedings if the venue is found to not be suitable.

In a pre-trial conference on March 21 at which Young said he agreed with the change of venue motion, Judge Simms requested that the chosen venue be large enough to accommodate members of the public and have a separate entrance for jurors.

The change of venue was to be discussed at a hearing scheduled for May 1 that has now been remanded. The parties are next scheduled to convene for a pre-trial conference on June 13.

State representatives provide updates at Vine Grove Legislative Breakfast

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Federal, state, and local government officials were on hand Thursday for the City of Vine Grove’s second annual legislative breakfast.

The event provided an opportunity for members of the Kentucky General Assembly from local districts to provide an update on their work during the most recent session and to connect with local officials.

House District 25 Representative Steve Bratcher said of the more than 1,100 house and senate bills that went before the general assembly, about 200 passed. Bratcher said the Hardin County area is an area in transition with recent and future growth and efforts to reduce the strain are necessary, but the area is in a good place.

“We should really, really consider ourselves very fortunate and take some of the things that we’re given and the opportunities that we have and utilize that to move our area and our community forward,” Bratcher said. “There’s some organizations or some communities that are really suffering right now, and so we are in the trajectory of growth, so that’s a great place to be.”

House District 27 Representative Nancy Tate discussed her work on several legislative caucuses, including efforts on the Aerospace and Aviation Caucus. Tate said more than 600,000 pilots and more than 650,000 airplane mechanics will be needed in the next ten years, and she said she wants to make sure Kentucky can be a critical part of the industry.

“Did you know that in 2019 and actually today, our number one export in Kentucky is aerospace and aviation materials?” said Tate. “This is obviously near and dear to my heart. In 2019, we exported $11 billion worth of materials for aviation and aerospace.”

Kentucky Second District Congressman Brett Guthrie was unable to attend but was represented by District Manager Mark Lord, who discussed some of Guthrie’s legislative priorities. Lord also said Guthrie has been able to send $25 million to $30 million back to the Second District each of the last several years through congressionally-directed spending.

“We can have opportunity for members of Congress to redirect money that would otherwise be spent by the administration to be directed by their members of Congress rather than the administration,” Lord said. “That’s a good thing, especially when it doesn’t have one additional dollar to the federal spending.”

Elizabethtown Mayor Jeff Gregory, Radcliff Mayor JJ Duvall, Vine Grove Mayor Pam Ogden, and West Point Mayor Richard Ciresi each expressed their appreciation for the availability of area representatives.