Archived Court Cases No. 6

Babysitter Sentenced To 13 Years In Death Of Infant.

Lexington, KY. Karen Burton Murphy was sentenced to 13 years imprisonment for the death of Bryan Puckett and the criminal abuse of her own son Jason Murphy. In July of 1999, Murphy left Bryan and Jason in her closed car for almost two and one-half hours while she shopped at the Lake Mist Plaza on Richmond Road.

During the trial of the case, evidence was presented that Murphy was under the influence of prescription medication when she left the children. The medication had been prescribed for her four year old daughter. Murphy also presented evidence that she was suffering from a seizure disorder and depression.

The jury found Murphy guilty but mentally ill. Under Kentucky law, a person found guilty but mentally ill will be provided treatment from the Department of Corrections until the treating professional determines that the treatment is no longer necessary. Murphy will be eligible for parole when she has served one-fifth of her sentence.

Repeated Car Thief Finally Sent To Prison.

Lexington, KY. Gary Earkman caused over $1000 worth of damage to a car. He also operated a car without the consent of the owner and possessed over $300 worth of items stolen from yet another car.

After being arrested and charged with the crimes, Earkman was released on bond. While on bond, he was found in possession of a stolen car and was operating the car while intoxicated. Earkman was arrested and placed in custody for the new offenses.

Earkman entered a guilty plea and was sentenced to five years imprisonment.

Detroit Drug Dealers Convicted, Then Probated.

Lexington, KY. Aswad Lowery and Ernest Snead, both of Detroit, Michigan, were convicted of Trafficking in a Controlled Substance, Crack Cocaine, and of Unlawful Transaction with a Minor 2nd Degree. Lowery and Snead entered guilty pleas to the charges.

The Lexington Police Narcotics Unit arrested Lowery, Snead and others after discovering 23 grams of crack cocaine. During the investigation, narcotics officers learned that a number of houses in the Bluegrass Park and Duncan Park areas were used to sell crack cocaine.

Lowery and Snead each admitted to assisting setting up Detroit juveniles in these houses. Then Lowery and Snead would deliver crack cocaine to the juveniles to sell. Later, the two would pick up the proceeds and deposit the money with the leader of the organized effort.

Lowery and Snead each received a 7 year sentence. However, they each were probated for 5 years.

Driver Wrecks on I-75, Convicted Of DUI And Promoting Contraband And Placed On Probation For 5 Years.

Lexington, KY. Just after 4:00 p.m. in the afternoon, police responded to an accident near the I-75/I-64 split. There they found Manfred Cox, 46, stumbling around outside his overturned vehicle. At the scene, Cox passed a preliminary breath test with a result of .000 but failed the sobriety tests and was found to be under the influence of a variety of non-prescription painkillers. Police found over $400 and 16 Valium pills on the defendant, who was then arrested for DUI and transported to the detention center.

Over seven hours later, during a routine search of Cox, corrections officers found 72 more pills and a small quantity of marijuana concealed in his underwear. Cox pled guilty to the felony offense of Promoting Contraband, in addition to the misdemeanor DUI, and was sentenced to 1 year probated for 5 years.

K-Mart Employee Thief Goes To Prison For 3 Years.

Lexington, KY. Thomas Lane, 40, a former employee of the K-Mart on Nicholasville Road, was in the store after hours and made statements to night employees regarding his plans to steal jewelry. Later that night, as Lane stole $3,700 worth of jewelry, he tripped an alarm and was gone by the time police were notified.

Lane was subsequently located and arrested. A search of his apartment revealed just over $2,000 worth of stolen items. He confessed to the crime and told police he had been drinking during the day of the theft.

Lane's criminal history is significant. He had several old felony theft convictions in North Carolina. Lane was released from custody on those charges and moved to Lexington in the late 1980's. While in Lexington, he has added misdemeanor offenses of trafficking in marijuana, assault, non-support, bail jumping, criminal mischief and three probation violations to his criminal record.

Lane was sentenced to 3 years in prison for the theft from K-Mart.

Woman Convicted Of Welfare Fraud, Probated.

Lexington, KY. Toni Green received food stamps, public assistance for medical assistance, and financial aid for many years based upon her reported employment income. When she reported to the state that she was no longer working in order to stay home with her ailing mother, she received even more. However, for over a year she failed to disclose that she had gone back to work. During this time she received $12,980.08 in public assistance to which she was not entitled.

Green pled guilty to the charge of welfare fraud for unlawfully receiving those state funds. Her sentence of 2 years was probated by the court for a period of 5 years based upon the condition she pay the money back.

Former Car Salesman Gets 2 Years For Fraudulently Leasing Car In Another Person's Name.

Lexington, KY. Ricquan K. Young was sentenced to 2 years' imprisonment for fraudulently leasing a car from a Lexington car dealership using the name of another person. When the deception was discovered, Lexington police located Young and recovered the car.

Young was also convicted of writing a cold check to a Lexington merchant and ordered to make restitution of over $600. Young's wife Crystal Dawn Young was also charged with assisting in the fraud and pled guilty to 12 months.

Parolee Convicted Of New Offense, Sent To Prison For 10 Years.

Lexington, KY. Jimmy Woolfolk was convicted of Possession of a Controlled Substance and being a Persistent Felony Offender in the First Degree. Woolfolk was arrested by the Lexington Narcotics Unit outside of 408 East Second Street during the execution of a search warrant. He was found with 1.7 grams of crack cocaine.

Woolfolk was arrested in April, 2000, only 4 months after being paroled on a prior offense of Possession of a Controlled Substance from 1991. In addition, Woolfolk has previously been convicted of Burglary Second Degree and Perjury First Degree. He was sentenced by the Fayette Circuit Court to 10 years, to be served consecutively with the remainder of his prior sentence.

"Long Arm Of The Law" Grabs Bail Jumper 4 Years After Being Released On Bond.

Lexington, KY. In August of 1996, two Fayette County Sheriff's Deputies stopped to assist a motorist with a flat tire on Alumni Drive. Bernie Burke, who was 24 at the time, was the driver of the vehicle, which displayed a stolen license plate and registration sticker. Burke was arrested for these offenses, and the subsequent search of the car turned up a small quantity of marijuana, pipes, and rolling papers. A third-party release was granted to Burke at his arraignment in District Court, but he failed to appear on September 5, 1996 for his preliminary hearing and a warrant was issued for his arrest.

The warrant remained active until December of 1999 when Burke was arrested for DUI in Pennsylvania. He was extradited to Kentucky, where he pled guilty July 14, 2000, to First Degree Bail Jumping. The Court sentenced Burke to one year and returned him to Pennsylvania to serve the remainder of his time in that jurisdiction.

Two-Time Felon And Dead Beat Dad Probated Again.

Lexington, KY. Kevin Ragland, 31, pled guilty to two counts of Flagrant Non-Support and one count of Persistent Felony Offender Second Degree. Ragland has two children, ages 5 and 10, by two different women and, at the time the complaints against him were filed, he owed in excess of $20,000 in unpaid child support.

Ragland's prior criminal history includes misdemeanor convictions for
Criminal Mischief, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, DUI, Unlawful
Transaction With A Minor, and Theft By Unlawful Taking. In 1998 he received
a felony conviction for Burglary; he was probated and sent to Drug Court but failed the program and was sent to the penitentiary to serve his 1 year sentence. He was discharged from the institution on February 16, 1999.

Ragland was sentenced to a term of 6 years for the Flagrant Non-Support and Persistent Felon Offender charges, and placed back on probation for 5 years.

Woman Passed 158 Bad Checks In 3-Month, $28,000 Shopping Spree, Gets 60 Days In Jail And Drug Court.

Lexington, KY. Toni Edwards was 27 years old and unemployed when she was arrested for writing or passing a series of bad checks. An investigation by the Financial Crimes Division of the Lexington Police Department revealed that in a 3-month period Edwards had written or passed a total of 158 worthless checks, either on her own account or stolen from two other people, for a total of $28,651.94 to area merchants, including Wal-Mart, Target, and Dillard's.

Edwards told the detectives she had written some of the checks to get things for her kids and refused to identify others who were involved in stealing or forging the documents. Her criminal history is significant for prior misdemeanor convictions of Theft By Deception.

Edwards pled guilty to numerous felony charges and related misdemeanors for writing or passing the checks. She stuck with her story about needing the money to get things for her two children, although court records showed she lived in public housing and received government assistance. The police files, furthermore, indicate that she spent more money at Liquor Barn ($964.22) and Sunglass Works ($816.20) than at Children's Palace ($637.37) and Toys R Us ($251.06). None of the property from Edward's spending binge
was recovered. After repeated questioning by the sentencing judge, Edwards eventually stated that she had a drug problem, and, although she had not mentioned this to anybody since her arrest, she was evaluated for Drug Court.

Edwards was sentenced to a total term of 7 years. She was placed on probation for 5 years with the condition that she enter and complete the Drug Court program, pay restitution, and serve a total of 60 days in the Fayette County Detention Center. She will have to repay approximately $108 per week to complete restitution in 5 years.

Eighteen Year Old Sentenced To 15 Years For Robbery Of Citgo Mart And Shooting Female Clerk.

Lexington, KY. Michael Anthony Henry, 18, was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment for the robbery and shooting of a convenience store clerk.

On December 13, 1999, Henry entered the Citgo Minit Mart on Loudon Avenue, armed with a stolen Glock brand 9mm handgun. He demanded the money from the clerk and while the clerk was removing the money from the cash register he shot her. The clerk suffered serious injuries.

A Fayette County Jury found Henry guilty and recommended 15 years on Robbery 1st and Assault 1st.

Man Sentenced To 3 Years For Distribution Of Child Pornography On Internet.

Lexington, KY. Brian D. Hause pled guilty and was sentenced to 3 years for one count of Distribution and 11 counts of Possession of Child Pornography.

Hause came to the attention of local law enforcement officials when he sent, via the internet, an image of child pornography to a Deputy Sheriff in San Bernadino, California.

During the execution of a search warrant at Hause's Hillside Drive residence, Lexington Police found additional images of child pornography on his computer. The children in the images were not local children and, according to the law enforcement officials, they were child pornography images that have been seen frequently on the internet.

Thief Caught Stealing From A Construction Site, Probated For 5 Years.

Lexington, KY. Michael Todd Whitlock was stopped by police after he was observed removing materials from a new housing development construction site. The police arrested Whitlock after they found several items in his car including windows, a door, and a microwave oven.

On June 16, 2000, Whitlock pled guilty to Burglary 3rd Degree, Receiving Stolen Property and for being a Persistent Felony Offender. Whitlock was sentenced to 5 years in prison, but probated for 5 years and allowed to enter the Drug Court Program.

Convicted Thief Enjoys Shopping Spree On A Stolen Credit Card.

Lexington, KY. Gregory Brent Coleman was observed entering an office of an employee at the Herald Leader. Later, the employee noticed that her Lazarus credit card was missing. The defendant, along with another person, were observed shopping at Lazarus buying several bags of designer clothing. The defendant then paid for the clothing with the stolen credit card.

Coleman pled guilty to Fraudulent Use of a Credit Card and being a Persistent Felony Offender. He was sentenced to 5 years in prison, but his sentence was probated for 5 years. He was also ordered to pay $2,834.23 in restitution.

Armed Robber Convicted of Robbing Foot Locker Employees At Gun Point.

Lexington, KY. Gregory Blair was convicted by a Fayette County Jury of the armed robbery of three employees of the Foot Locker store located in Fayette Mall. On the evening of August 10, 1999, the three employees were on their way to make the regular night bank deposit when they were approached by a green van. The driver pulled a gun, leaned over a female passenger, and demanded the money. The driver then sped off in the van.

Gregory Blair was identified as the driver. He eluded police that night but was later tracked down in Florida. From there, he was extradited back to Kentucky to face trial. At the trial the jury found Blair guilty of Robbery 1st, Wanton Endangerment, Resisting An Order to Stop A Motor Vehicle and being a Persistent Felony Offender 1st.

Blair was sentenced to 10 years in prison and ordered to pay $5,200.00 in restitution.

Defendant Violates Probation 7 Times, Finally Sent To Prison.

Lexington, KY. A search warrant was executed on the home of Michael Miller. During the search, police found marijuana, hits of LSD, Lortab and Valium along with rolling papers and digital scales. Miller had several visitors at the time and several more "just dropped by" while the police were still there.

Miller told police that the drugs were for personal use only, adding that the only reason he had not already taken the LSD was that he had been unable to find a babysitter.

Miller was convicted of Possession of a Controlled Substance and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. He was sentenced to 5 years in prison but placed on probation through the Drug Court Program. Miller had previously been convicted on 2 counts of Trafficking in a Controlled Substance and was sentenced to 1 year in prison.

Miller's probation was revoked after violating the terms and conditions of his probation 7 times. He must now serve out his sentence.

Defendant On Probation Given Probation Again After Breaking The Law.

Lexington, KY. Ray Anthony Walters, II, 19, sold cocaine to a police informant on separate occasions and at different locations. Each transaction was monitored and recorded by police using surveillance equipment. Walters was convicted of two counts of Trafficking in a Controlled Substance 1st Degree and was sentenced to 10 years on each count.

At the time of the arrest, Walters was on probation and house arrest for an unrelated federal charge. Although he was already on probation, Walters was once again probated. He was sentenced to serve only 6 months in jail with the rest of his sentence being probated for 5 years.

Defendant Given Several Chances, Refuses To Attend Drug Court, Sent To Prison.

Lexington, KY. Katherine Shaw was convicted of Possession of a Controlled Substance and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. She was placed on 5 years probation.

However, Shaw violated the terms of her probation by pleading guilty to Disorderly Conduct. She also violated her probation by testing positive for cocaine and for failing to report to her probation officer. Rather than having her probation revoked, Shaw was ordered to attend the Drug Court Program.

Yet again, Shaw violated her probation by failing to attend the Drug court Program, for missing drug tests, and for testing positive for illegal drug use. Shaw's probation was finally revoked and she was sent to prison to serve the remainder of her sentence.

Juvenile Sentenced To 8 Years, Probated On 18th Birthday, Commits Another Crime, Probated Again.

Lexington, KY. 16 year old Richie Eizander Mays and another juvenile entered the Trent Boulevard Dairy Mart and robbed it at gunpoint. The two juveniles fled with both the money and the surveillance video of their daring deed, knowing that no one had seen their faces under the masks they wore.

Unfortunately for Richie, he underestimated his family members who happened to be in the store at the time. They recognized him and told his mother, who immediately turned him in.

Richie was convicted of Robbery in the 2nd Degree and was sentenced to serve 8 years. He was sent to the Department of Juvenile Justice. On a juvenile's 18th birthday, the juvenile has to be re-sentenced. On Richie's 18th birthday, he was re-sentenced to 8 years, but was probated for 5 years.

Richie was again caught breaking the law. He was convicted of Criminal Facilitation to Trafficking in a Controlled Substance. Despite his new conviction, Richie was once again probated. He was sentenced to serve 48 hours (a weekend) in jail and continue on probation.