A man charged with attempting to snip off a dog’s body parts will be tested for mental competency before standing before a judge again.
Michael Salyers of Science Hill was arrested last week and charged with second-degree animal cruelty. He is accused of using a pair of scissors to try to cut off the puppy’s ears and tail.
Salyers stood before Judge Katie Wood in Pulaski District Court on Thursday, his second appearance thus far, having pleaded not guilty in his first appearance last week.
Salyers’ counsel, Jim Cox, made an oral motion Thursday requesting to have Salyers examined for competency to stand trial. County Attorney Bill Thompson had no objection, and Salyers will be evaluated with a doctor’s report on his mental status to be returned before his next court date.
Science Hill Police Chief Robbie Gossett, who arrested Salyers on Oct. 23, said that Salyers pulled the puppy, estimated to be between eight and 10 weeks old, from an acquaintance’s car and attempted to first cut through the puppy’s ears and tail with a pocket knife. When that didn’t work, he used a pair of scissors, doing substantial damage to the dog.
The acquaintance rushed the puppy to a local veterinarian, who repaired the damage to the ears and tail.
Gossett said Salyers told police that he attempted to cut the puppy’s ears and tail because he thought it would look good.
Salyers will appear again in court on Dec. 22.
Local News
Judge orders competency test in animal cruelty case
Salyers accused of using scissors on dog
- Local News
-
-
Boil water advisory is ‘precautionary’
-
Design of $1 million Fountain Square project unveiled
- All 12 Somerset councilors file for re-election bids
-
Sears a no-show for hearing in Belize
-
Chris Godby succeeds father on wildlife commission
-
Eubank mayor joins redistricting suit
-
Kentucky children need expanded preschool
To understand why my proposed budget expands access to preschool to 4,000 more Kentucky 4 year olds, it helps to imagine two kindergarten classes arriving for the first day of school.
In one class, the kids are bright-eyed and healthy. They know the alphabet, their numbers, and a little rudimentary math (think basic addition and subtraction). They can even read a little bit, and are able hold a conversation with adults. In short, they’re confident, curious, creative and energetic. They want to learn.
In the other class, the kids are just the opposite. Several have health problems, like tooth aches, asthma and lingering sickness caused by poor nutrition. They’ve never been read to, don’t know either their letters or numbers and can’t spell their names. They’re too timid to interact with their teachers and classmates, show little interest in anything around them and—to summarize—are completely unengaged.
You don’t have to be a kindergarten teacher to predict the outcome of the year: One class will learn, the other will struggle.
When the students enter first grade the following year, the same gap will exist, only it’ll be larger. In later grades, the gap will be larger still.
Barring aggressive intervention, the kids who began their school careers behind are likely to remain behind the rest of their lives.
That’s why getting our youngest children off to a good start—by laying a foundation of good health and cognitive development that enables them to hit the ground running in kindergarten—has been one of my top priorities as governor.
The seeds of learning are planted early in life. Earlier, even, than kindergarten. Scientists say that some 90 percent of physical brain development occurs from birth to age 3.
That’s why we’ve brought health care coverage to nearly 60,000 children whose families didn’t have any.
We’ve improved dental care for tens of thousands of children by increasing the number of dentists who treat children and bringing treatment straight to our classrooms.
We’re aligning our preschool and early care programs around a common definition of kindergarten readiness, one that guides our care workers in preparing our children mentally, physically, emotionally and socially to do the work involved in kindergarten.
And we’re seeking to expand access to preschool to 4,430 of our at-risk 4-year-olds.
My proposed budget for the 2013-2014 biennium—which I presented to the General Assembly on Jan. 17—includes $15 million to expand eligibility to families whose incomes are 160 percent or less of the federal poverty level, up from the current cut-off of 150 percent.
Bu the end of my term, I intend to set eligibility levels at 200 percent or below, which would help us add 3,920 additional children on top of this year’s gain.
Anecdotally, this makes sense.
Statistically, it’s a wise investment.
The Committee for Economic Development -- a national nonprofit, nonpartisan business-led public policy organization -- produced a report funded by the Pew Charitable Trust that studied the benefits of early childhood education. The report found that kids who had access to high-quality preschool were less likely to drop out of school, less likely to commit crimes, earned higher incomes and were healthier.
Consequently, experts say that every dollar spent on preschool programs carries a return on investment that ranges from $2 to $17.
The formula is simple—we can invest in our children early, or we can pay substantially higher costs later for things like remedial school work, basic job training, expanded welfare and prison costs.
If we don’t give kids the best possible start to their education, the bill comes due again, again and again.
Our people—especially our children—are Kentucky’s greatest resource.
To bring transformational change to our state, we must cultivate that resource by making substantial investments in our intellectual infrastructure.
Even in the most wretched financial times, there are certain investments that we cannot ignore.
But this is more than a financial argument. It’s also a moral one.
We owe all of our children—whether they live in our inner cities or our mountain hollows, our suburbs or our farms -- a chance at a promising and productive life.
And that process starts early. -
GOP to challenge redistricting
According to Kentucky Republicans, recent redistricting in the House of Representatives is unconstitutional — and they’re going to the legal mat in order to prove it.
On Wednesday, minority leader Rep. Jeff Hoover — a Republican who represents parts of Pulaski County along with others — announced that House GOP members were planning to file a lawsuit to challenge the constitutionality of Speaker Greg Stumbo’s recent redistricting plan that cleared the Democrat-controlled House.
The suit seeks an injunction to delay the plan, which Gov. Steve Beshear has already signed into law.
-
Toeing the Line
Alex Garcia, Jason Mink, and Brandon Coffey, with BMB Lawnworks, stayed busy Wednesday afternoon as they worked to install the frame of a new curb on Main Street as part of a streetscape project between West Columbia and West Oak Streets. The approximate $1 million project, funded through grant dollars available to the City of Somerset, is expected to be completed by July and will feature curb and sidewalk repairs and new streetlights.
-
Hal Rogers critical of President’s address
State of the Union addresses by a U.S. President are typically applauded by his party’s faithful and decried by the opposing party. President Barack Obama’s message Tuesday night was no different.
Somerset’s own Congressman Harold “Hal” Rogers was sharply critical of Obama following the latest State of the Union address.
While the Democrat Obama suggested that he would “fight obstruction” coming from the opposing party, the Republican U.S. Representative from the state’s Fifth District suggested that the problem isn’t gridlock — it’s the man in charge.
- More Local News Headlines
-
Romney, Gingrich Focus on Hispanic Voters in Fla
'Barefoot Bandit' Sentenced to 6 1/2 Years
Animatronic Dinosaurs Take Over Aussie Museum
Friend on 911 Call: Demi Moore Was Convulsing
Tabby Cat Gets New Knee
Conn. Home Invasion Killer Sentenced to Death
Six Months Out, London Says It's on Track
Obama Decries Rising Cost of College Education
Romney So Far Mute on Mexican Roots
Bomb Kills Dozens at Iraq Funeral Procession
Raw Video: Partial Collapse at Ohio Casino Site
Cat in Cockpit Causes Four-hour Flight Delay
Hillary Clinton Done With Political "High Wire"
Raw Video: Thousands Gather to Remember Paterno
Mayor Blasted for 'Taco' Quip About Latinos
NYC Police Commissioner's Son Being Investigated
Roof Collapses at Hockey Practice
Raw Video: Brazil Building Collapse
Man Steals Stuffed Animals, Seeking Companions
Giffords Resigns House Seat to Focus on Recovery
