Several headed to prison

Local News

February 25, 2008

Local News

By HEATHER PYLES, CJ Staff Writer The Commonwealth Journal Mon Feb 25, 2008, 09:32 AM EST

SOMERSET, Ky. — Several people were sentenced to prison terms Thursday by Judge Jeffrey T. Burdette in Pulaski Circuit Court, including one person who, in a separate incident, was reportedly linked to a man who allegedly bribed a prison guard into smuggling a cell phone into the Pulaski County Detention Center.

According to a press release from Commonwealth’s Attorney Eddy F. Montgomery, Richard Randolph, 40, pleaded guilty to burglary and was sentenced to three years in prison for his role in a burglary that happened in July 2007.

Randolph was arrested August 8, 2007 after an investigation into a July 13 robbery at a residence on Garland Road revealed that Randolph had taken over $300 worth of items. Also arrested in connection with the incident was Bret Crozier, 28, of Somerset, who later pleaded guilty to complicity to theft.

Crozier also pleaded guilty to promoting contraband in connection with an incident at the jail in which Crozier allegedly bribed a guard into taking a cell phone into the prison.

The jail guard has since resigned.

Randolph’s three-year sentence was recommended to run consecutively to a 23-year sentence he received for violating terms of his parole.

Other people sentence in court Thursday include:

• Anthony C. Newell, 36 of Somerset. Newell pleaded guilty to flagrant non-support and was sentenced to 18 months in prison for failing to pay child support in the amount of $5,277.50 from Sept. 1, 2005 through June 30, 2006.

• Rhonda Kidd, 36, of Somerset. Kidd was sentenced to two years in prison after testimony revealed that she had a reportedly used methamphetamine, which was in violation of the terms of her probation. Kidd had originally pleaded guilty to first-degree possession of a controlled substance.

• Raye L. Daulton, 25, of Somerset. Daulton was sentenced to two years in prison after testimony revealed that he had reportedly filed to pay child support, which violated his terms of probation involving an original plea of guilty for flagrant non-support.

• Bobbie Wells, 41, of Science Hill. Wells was sentenced to one year in prison for possession of a controlled substance. An investigation conducted in April 2007 by the Lake Cumberland Area Drug task Force revealed that Wells was reportedly in possession of 34 pills containing Oxycodone and over $11,000 in cash.

• Christy Trabish, 27, of Ferguson. Trabish was sentenced to five years in prison after testimony revealed that she had been terminated from Drug Court and absconded. Trabish had originally pleaded guilty to facilitation to manufacture methamphetamine and was probated for five years.

• Tabitha Morgan, 21, of Russell Springs. Morgan was sentenced to three years in prison for second-degree trafficking in a controlled substance. Morgan had originally been on pretrial diversion for the charge but testimony revealed that Morgan had delivered a child and cocaine was reportedly detected.

• Mitchell Bradshaw, 25, of Tateville. Bradshaw was sentenced to one year in prison for flagrant non-support after he reportedly failed to pay child support in the amount of $4,827.41 from Oct. 2003 through Nov. 2007.

• Christopher Mark Garner, 31, of Albany. Garner pleaded guilty to 12 counts of second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument.

According to Montgomery, Garner allegedly passed 12 forged checks at various businesses in Somerset from Dec. 21, 2006 through Jan. 11, 2007, and an investigation by the Somerset Police Department linked the forged checks to a break-in in Monticello. A ten-year prison sentence was recommended that would run consecutively to a prior felony conviction garner received in Wayne County in 2005.

Text Only

Local News

Visitors rave about beauty of Lake Cumberland in May
May 24, 2012 1 Photo
Pulaski’s Memorial Day weekend to be packed
May 24, 2012 1 Photo
Locally-born Rotary leader Pigman dies at 78
May 24, 2012
Technology summit gets underway
May 24, 2012 1 Photo
Local Democrats diss Obama
May 23, 2012
Floyd edges incumbent in city council run-off
May 23, 2012
Pulaski carries Girdler to win

In the weeks leading up to Tuesday’s primary election, it was impossible to miss the colorful signs dotting nearly every Pulaski roadway. The names in the race for the 15th State Senatorial District seat popped out: A.C. Donahue. Chris Girdler. Mark Polston.

Once citizens hit the ballots, however, the results mirrored the dimensions of the signs themselves: Chris Girdler stood the tallest.

Girdler, deputy district director for Congressman Harold “Hal” Rogers, ran away with the votes inside Pulaski County’s borders, earning 3,926 votes for 62.05 percent of the total number cast.

That number more than doubled the next highest vote-getter, businessman Mark Polston, who raked in 1,624 votes for 25.67 percent.

However, Polston — who owns Classic Carpet, a home-flooring business located just off the southern 914 bypass — can claim a moral victory ... three of them, in fact. In all three counties in the district other than Pulaski — those being Adair, Casey, and Russell Counties — Polston actually edged out Girdler.

In Adair, Polston beat Girdler 629 to 394. In Casey County, it was 538 to 417, and in Russell, it was 1,862 to 1,038.

Polston said he just “couldn’t pull it out with the numbers” and that “the machine worked for” Girdler in Pulaski County.

“I think that was their strategy — I think they had a Pulaski County strategy all along,” said Polston. “They played the political game well.”

Polston said the difference between his and Girdler’s campaigns was that “mine was a very, very grass roots campaign,” he said. “I did not have a political machine behind me. I understand how this process works, and in this instance, he prevailed.”

As for why Girdler didn’t take three of four counties, the winning candidate — since there are no Democrats in the race, winning the Republican primary was effectively a final victory for Girdler — said he didn’t have an answer for that.

However, “I believe things happen for a reason and I hope the long and strenuous campaign will only heighten my desire to move beyond the bitterness and partisanship of the recent past,” said Girdler.

“Regionalism is a goal of mine, and I look forward to helping all four counties,” he added, noting that he campaigned heavily in each of them.

Sen. Vernie McGaha, the long-time state senator whose seat the candidates were vying for, actually supported Polston after Liberty’s Todd Hoskins dropped out of the race earlier this month.

Donahue, a local attorney, got 556 votes in Pulaski County, 8.79 percent of the vote. He only received 145 votes in Russell County, 74 in Adair County, and 75 in Casey County, where hometown candidate Hoskins almost matched him with 71 votes despite no longer being officially in the race.

Polston said he’s “still digesting” what happened, and though “the process has been a very good experience for me,” he wouldn’t commit to running again in the future. “I wouldn’t shut the door to anything, but I’m not opening any doors either.”

Still, “I think I got a lot of people involved in the process that had not been involved before and would not have been otherwise,” he said. “A lot of people got out and worked really hard, got motivated to talk to friends and neighbors. I think a lot of people became involved through this campaign that are going to be involved for a long time.”

Girdler stressed his “positive message” and said that Rogers is a “mentor and good friend” that he would turn to for advice in dealing with a frequently combative legislative body in Frankfort, one for which Girdler hopes to help change the culture.

Girdler said that he was “confident and optimistic” during the day Tuesday because he’d “worked extremely hard.” Nevertheless, the realization that he’d won gave him “chill bumps,” he said.

“I’m absolutely honored,” said Girdler. “The position of state senator is more than an honor, more than an office. It’s a charge to keep, and I will give it my all.

“I pledge to be the people’s state senator,” he added. “I look forward to working with everyone to move this region forward.”

May 22, 2012 1 Photo
Pine Knot man leads law enforcement on chase
May 22, 2012 1 Photo
Tragic accident claims toddler
May 21, 2012 1 Photo
Woman with child in car cited for DUI
May 18, 2012
More Local News Headlines

Local News

Search Results

Several headed to prison

Local News

Site Map