Somerset — A trial date has been set in the case of a former Pulaski County Sheriff’s deputy who was accused last year of having sexual contact with his young daughter.
Russell Burton, 44, of Somerset, who pleaded no guilty in December to 10 counts of first-degree sexual abuse and one count of sodomy, will see his case go to trial on May 13, 2009.
Burton appeared before Judge Jeffrey T. Burdette in Pulaski Circuit Court on Thursday, Jan. 15.
Those charges, handed down by a Pulaski County Grand Jury in October, stem from allegations that Burton sexually abused his daughter sometime in 2003 and after that. The complaint also alleges that the victim was under 12 years old when the incidents took place.
Burton, who retired from the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Department a little more than three years ago, was originally charged with one count of first-degree rape, two counts of incest, one count of sodomy and 10 counts of first-degree sexual abuse in early July.
Burton had also served as a volunteer firefighter with the Parker’s Mill Fire Department and he ran for 5th District Magistrate in 2006, and he served as a part-time bailiff at the Pulaski County Courthouse. He was suspended without pay from that position when the charges came to light. He is also a former chairman of the Pulaski County Fire Commission.
A defendant found guilty of first degree sexual abuse when involving a victim under 12 years old, a Class C felony, would be facing between five and 10 years in prison for each count.
A first-degree sodomy conviction with a victim under 12 years old calls for a sentence of 20 years to life.
Under the applicable statutory caps, Burton could be sentenced to life in prison with no parole eligibility until he served 20 years. Upon being released, he would have to undergo a three-year conditional discharge, undergo therapy, and register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.
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Russell Burton, 44, of Somerset, who pleaded not guilty to 10 counts of first-degree sexual abuse and one count of sodomy in December, will see his case go to trial on May 13, 2009.
Trial date set for former deputy accused of sexual abuse
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Big Bang Theory
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.
The Health Department doesn’t operate the cannons unless there is a specific complaint in an area where there are lots of birds, Spillman noted. He said so far this year the birds are not as bad as in the past. -
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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