The chief prosecutor in Owsley and Lee counties hopes former Campbell Circuit Judge William Wehr can bring more than just himself when he heads to the eastern Kentucky counties in the fall to help end a backlog of cases. Commonwealth Attorney Tom Hall would like Wehr to bring along some extra hours in the day to take care of criminal cases - -- most involving drugs -- that have doubled in the past year. "It's not a case of not enough judges or not enough prosecutors," Hall said Wednesday. "It's a case of not enough time." [continues 528 words]
The detective at the center of a growing investigation of the Ludlow Police Department testified under oath Tuesday that $1,000 payments demanded as part of plea agreements with suspected drug dealers were sought to help defray the department's costs of investigating drug trafficking. Detective Bill Schilling, in his first public comments on the issue, testified that the costs included police officers' time responding to calls, logging evidence, questioning witnesses and transcribing statements. It also was to help pay for one officer to attend classes to help him identify marijuana, Schilling told Kenton District Judge Doug Grothaus. [continues 500 words]
A Ludlow police detective, under investigation for seeking thousands of dollars as part of plea negotiations with people arrested on drug charges, was fired from the Kenton County Jail four years ago for continually violating various county policies. Ludlow Detective Bill Schilling had been fired by County Jailer Terry Carl for performing what were described as law enforcement tasks that he had been told not to do. The Ludlow allegation follows a similar pattern. Schilling is under investigation by state police. Other state police targets could include the Kenton Commonwealth Attorney's office. [continues 847 words]
Ludlow Police Chief Ray Murphy offered to make a felony drug case disappear for $1,000, a man in court on drug charges testified Wednesday during an open court hearing. Murphy, who was not at the hearing, later called the charge bogus. But Edward Elmore told Kenton District Judge Doug Grothaus that his attorney had passed along the offer, saying it came directly from Murphy. And while the attorney, Brad Braun, declined to testify at the hearing Wednesday on the basis of attorney-client privilege, he said later that Elmore was telling the truth. [continues 794 words]
State police have been asked to look into whether Kenton County prosecutors and Ludlow police improperly sought cash payments as part of plea agreements with people arrested during a drug investigation in the small river city. Several defense attorneys recently received "proffers" -- an offer made during plea negotiations -- that asked the suspects to pay up to $12,000 in reimbursements to the Ludlow Police Department for the costs of its investigation. About a week ago, one of those defense attorneys carried the complaints to several Kenton circuit judges. Three of the judges agreed to forward the information on to state police for investigation. [continues 611 words]
The former head of the Northern Kentucky University Foundation quietly pleaded guilty to drug trafficking charges Tuesday in Campbell County. James Alford admitted to Campbell Circuit Judge Leonard Kopowski that he sold small amounts of marijuana from his apartment in Highland Heights. He said he was accepting punishment for his actions. Alford did get a break because of his plea. Assistant Campbell Commonwealth Attorney Anthony Bracke said he was dropping a gun specification in the charge, which dropped the maximum penalty from 10 years to five years. [continues 267 words]
A Campbell County grand jury on Thursday indicted the former head of the Northern Kentucky University Foundation on a charge of selling marijuana. The grand jury charged James Alford, 52, with trafficking in marijuana within 1,000 yards of a school. The indictment included a gun specification, which increases the maximum penalty from five years to 10 years in prison. Alford's attorney, Dean Pisacano, could not be reached for comment. Highland Heights police and the Northern Kentucky Drug Strike Force arrested Alford in December at his condominium in Highland Heights after a month-long investigation. [continues 175 words]
Endowment Manager Arrested In Thursday Bust The man who managed more than $30 million in endowments for Northern Kentucky University and regularly met with the top business and political leaders in the area is charged with being a small-time marijuana dealer. Dr. James Alford, 52, praised for having one of the top investment strategies in the nation among college foundation directors, pleaded not guilty to the felony charge Friday in Campbell District Court. Later in the day, the Northern Kentucky University Foundation announced Alford had been suspended with pay pending resolution of the charge. [continues 605 words]
At least one group of air travelers has cut back on flying since Sept. 11: couriers who once used the skies to deliver drugs of all sorts to Greater Cincinnati. Federal and state officials, attorneys and police officers all say that the number of arrests and the amount of drugs seized at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport has dropped noticeably since increased security measures were instituted. The logical inference, they say, is that the greater likelihood of a random search of baggage - both checked and carry-on - has scared drug runners away. [continues 645 words]
Kenton County prosecutors say prison sentences meted out to those who illegally bought and sold the prescription pain-killer OxyContin have helped limit the growth of the once-popular drug. "The word is on the street: It's not going to be tolerated," said Assistant Commonwealth Attorney Michael Folk. More than half of the people arrested in Covington earlier this year during an investigation of illegal sales and use of OxyContin have pleaded guilty. Five of the 11 have been sentenced to prison, and another is expected to plead guilty next month to charges that will carry a prison sentence, Folk said. [continues 314 words]
A Northern Kentucky defense attorney charged in federal court today that FBI agents are trying to frame him on charges of intimidating a witness. Marcus Carey - who represents a member of a prominent Gallatin County family on federal drug trafficking charges - said he learned about the threat Wednesday afternoon from a potential witness in the case. Carey said the witness broke down crying as he told a story of the FBI asking him to wear a wire while a representative of Carey's talked to him. The FBI told to the witness ''to pick a fight'' with Carey's representative, Carey told U.S. District Judge Jennifer Coffman. [continues 276 words]
The pregnant 14-year-old was so hooked on marijuana that she would arrive early at her anti-drug counseling sessions - so she could meet up with a friend to sneak outside and smoke a joint. The 17-year-old high school athlete loved playing his sport - but not enough to give up drinking, which eventually led to his being kicked off the team after he was arrested Labor Day on a charge of drunken driving. The 16-year-old girl started drinking at age 9 and smoking pot when she was 11 - but saw nothing unusual about her behavior and fought with anyone who suggested otherwise. [continues 894 words]
Attorney questions stepson's word A Covington drug case may hinge on whether authorities can search a parent's apartment based on what his young stepson said during an interview at his elementary school. Narcotics squad agents said the child told them his stepfather was dealing drugs from their apartment on 12th Street, according to a search warrant. No mention of the child was made during a brief hearing Thursday in Kenton District Court. Instead, Northern Kentucky Drug Strike Force Agent Jacob Noe testified that it was a reliable, confidential informant who gave them information about Kelvin "Cheezy" Wallers. [continues 378 words]
