Pulaski man pleads guilty to break-in

Local News

February 23, 2009

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By HEATHER PYLES, CJ Staff Writer The Commonwealth Journal Mon Feb 23, 2009, 09:26 AM EST

A Pulaski County man who allegedly broke into a residence in Science Hill appeared in Pulaski Circuit Court Thursday.

Steve Wayne Miller, 28, of Somerset appeared before Pulaski Circuit Judge Jeffrey Burdette and pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree burglary and one count of felony receiving stolen property.

Those charges stem from a September 2008 incident in which Miller allegedly broke into a residence on Frog Hollow Road in Science Hill, according to Commonwealth’s Attorney Eddy F. Montgomery. Miller later reportedly attempted to pawn those items when authorities connected him to the case.

Montgomery recommended five years in prison and Burdette set final sentencing for March 19, 2009.

The following individuals also entered pleas in Pulaski Circuit Court Thursday:

• Tommy W. Vaughn, Jr., 31, of Somerset, pleaded guilty to one count of complicity to first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance in connection to a January 2008 incident in which authorities reportedly discovered Vaughn assisting in the sale of Oxycodone, according to Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Susan Ham Hepburn. Hepburn recommended a seven-year prison sentence to run consecutively to a prior 10-year drug sentence that Vaughn was on parole for when he committed was arrested for the drug offense. Burdette set final sentencing for March 19, 2009.

• Bige Baker II, 25, of Bronston pleaded guilty to several felony offenses resulting from multiple investigations by the Lake Cumberland Area Drug Task Force and the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office. The Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office reportedly found Baker in possession of stolen knives in February 2008 from a burglary, according to Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Jeremy Bartley.

Additionally, in October 2007 operatives with the LCADTF reportedly purchased Oxycodone and Methamphetamine from Baker, and in March 2008, Baker was arrested by the LCADTF after he allegedly assisted in a methamphetamine laboratory in Eubank.

Bartley recommended 12 years in prison and Burdette set final sentencing for March 19, 2009.

• Kyle Cordell, 21, of Somerset pleaded guilty to one count of felony theft and was sentenced to one year in prison. That charge stems from an August 2008 incident in which Cordell reportedly stole wiring from a new residence on Hughes Lane, according to Montgomery.

The one-year sentence would run consecutive to a prior felony sentence Cordell is already serving.

• Michael D. Nevels, 27, of Bronston, pleaded guilty to one count of complicity to second-degree trafficking in a controlled substance in connection with a June 2008 incident in which Nevels reportedly assisted another defendant in the sale of Hydrocodone, according to Bartley.

Bartley recommended a one-year prison sentence and Burdette set final sentencing for March 19, 2009.

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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.”

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