Somerset — A man who was arrested late last summer after he allegedly attacked his employer with a sledgehammer entered a plea to those charges in court Thursday.
Kenneth W. Gill, 29, of Somerset entered an Alford plea of guilty to one count of second-degree assault in connection with the August 2009 incident in which Gill struck Ernie Wood, 42, over the head with a sledgehammer.
An Alford plea is a guilty plea in criminal court in which the defendant does not admit the act but admits the prosecution could likely prove the charge.
Authorities stated that Gill became involved in an argument with Wood, his employer at the time of the incident, when Gill struck Wood in the head with the sledgehammer.
Emergency responders had originally believed they were responding to a report of a construction accident at a Bronston residence.
Wood was airlifted from the scene of the incident to the UK Medical Center in Lexington for treatment of his injuries.
In court Thursday Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney David L. Dalton stated he would recommend seven years in prison. Pulaski Circuit Judge Jeffrey Burdette set final sentencing for April 15, 2010.
Local News
Man takes Alford plea in sledgehammer attack
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Pulaski County is not at war. The booming you may hear at dusk is mock cannon fire to scare away birds.
Stuart Spillman, environmental director for the Lake Cumberland Health Department, said at least three cannons are on loan from the department to residents who want to scare away swarms of starlings and blackbirds settling in to roost.
He said a cannon is being used by a resident on Laura Lane off Ky. 39; another is in the Oak Hill Road area and a third is on Ashurst Street in the eastern part of Somerset.
Spillman said a timer on each cannon allows it to “fire” at whatever frequency is desired. The cannons must be used as the birds circle before going to roost. “After they settle in, nothing will chase them out,” Spillman said.
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Boil water advisory is lifted countywide
The water controversy that Pulaski County has been boiling over — so to speak — for the last week is finally over.
At 10 minutes after noon Wednesday, the “boil water” advisory for the Western Pulaski Water District was lifted — almost a full week after the problems began around 1 p.m. last Thursday.
Prior to that, the Somerset Water Service — along with the other water providers in its system, including Science Hill Water, Southeastern Water, and Eubank Water — lifted their advisories, with Somerset on Saturday afternoon and the last, Southeastern, by Monday morning. Western Pulaski was the last in the system to complete sample testing for potential contaminants, due to not being able to access its Pikeville-based testing lab until Monday.
Somerset Mayor Eddie Girdler thanked the public for its patience and understanding during the duration of the boil water advisory — put in place to keep citizens from drinking water that could have been contaminated after an accident last Thursday at the water plant site — and also thanked all the city employees for their hard work during this time.
“The boil water advisory went about as well as would be expected,” said Girdler.
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