Category: News

Paducah, Ky. (September 1, 2021) — The Kentucky State Police (KSP) Electronic Crime Branch arrested Robert Garrett Barrett, 18, on charges related to child sexual abuse material.

Barrett was arrested as the result of an undercover Internet Crimes Against Children investigation. The KSP Electronic Crime Branch began the investigation after discovering the suspect sharing images of child sexual exploitation online.

The investigation resulted in the execution of a search warrant at a residence in Paducah, KY on August 31, 2021. Equipment used to facilitate the crime was seized and taken to KSP’s forensic laboratory for examination. The investigation is ongoing.

Barrett is currently charged with three counts of distribution of matter portraying a minor in a sexual performance and one count of possession of matter portraying a minor in a sexual performance. These charges are Class-D felonies punishable by one to five years in prison. Barrett was lodged in the McCracken County Detention Center.

The Kentucky Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force is comprised of more than twenty-six local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies. The mission of the ICAC Task Force, created by the United States Department of Justice and administrated by the Kentucky State Police, is to assist state and local law enforcement agencies in developing a response to cyber enticement and child sexual abuse material investigations. This support encompasses forensic and investigative components, training and technical assistance, victim services, prevention and community education. The ICAC program was developed in response to the increasing number of children and teenagers using the internet, the proliferation of child sexual abuse material, and the heightened online activity of predators searching for unsupervised contact with underage victims.

Operation United Front rescues 59 victims, including two minors, and leads to 102 arrests across the country

FRANKFORT, Ky. (Sept. 1, 2021) – Today, Gov. Andy Beshear announced Operation United Front – a multistate human trafficking sting carried out Aug. 26 by 29 agencies across Kentucky – rescued 21 victims, including two minors, and yielded 46 arrests.

The 12-state human trafficking operation, led by the Missouri Attorney General’s Office and Missouri Highway Patrol, is believed to be the first multistate operation of its kind.

Kentucky conducted four trafficking operations simultaneously in Bowling Green, Elizabethtown, McCracken County and Northern Kentucky. The Kentucky State Police (KSP) organized and led the commonwealth’s effort.

“Operation United Front is a great example of creating a better and safer Kentucky, one that is free of this hideous crime,” Gov. Beshear said. “Thank you to all the law enforcement agencies and organizations involved for rescuing these victims and holding these heinous offenders accountable. Unfortunately, this crime is occurring in every county, in every community across the commonwealth, but we will keep fighting to make life better and safer for all Kentuckians, especially our children.”

Officials in participating states rescued a total of 59 victims, providing needed medical services to 41, and arrested 102 suspects across the country in connection with human trafficking. Each state conducted its own operation simultaneously, while sharing information with the Missouri State Highway Patrol and the Missouri Attorney General’s Office. Prior to the operation, Missouri offered training and information about how to conduct these operations to participating states.

“Operation United Front was a success because of the hard work and dedication of all law enforcement professionals working together,” said KSP Commissioner Phillip Burnett Jr. “This sends a message to human traffickers across the country that their actions will not be tolerated. We will be vigilant in finding those who prey upon our most vulnerable, especially our children. While we as law enforcement are responsible for investigating the cases and arresting the individuals involved, there is a whole other dynamic to these cases and that is the care provided by the victim services community.”

In addition to KSP, several Kentucky agencies supported the commonwealth’s efforts in Operation United Front contributing to the overall success.

These agencies include: Anderson County Sheriff’s Office; Boone County Sheriff’s Office; Bowling Green Police Department; Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport Police Department; Department of Homeland Security; Elizabethtown Police Department; Florence Police Department; Grayson County Sheriff’s Office; Greater Hardin County Drug Task Force; Hart County Sheriff’s Office; Homeland Security Intelligence; Homeland Security Investigations, Louisville; Kenton County Police Department; Kentucky Office of the Attorney General; LaRue County Sheriff’s Office; Lawrenceburg Police Department; Marshall County Sheriff’s Office; McCracken County Police Department; Nelson County Sheriff’s Office; Paducah Police Department; Radcliff Police Department; U.S. Secret Service; Shepherdsville Police Department; Simpson County Sheriff’s Office; South Central Kentucky Drug Task Force; Warren County Drug Task Force; and Western Kentucky University Police Department.

Additional organizations provided victim support services including medical, housing, food and other needed services. Among the organizations providing aid were Barren County Area Child Advocacy Center, Catholic Charities, Department for Community Based Services, Kentucky State Police Victim Advocates, Northern Kentucky Children Advocacy Center, Refuge for Women, Southeast Christian Church, Salvation Army and Salvation Army of Cincinnati.

“The unique part of Operation United Front is that we utilized a victim-centered approach,” says Detective Rugina Lunce, KSP Human Trafficking Task Force Coordinator. “All agencies involved worked together to provide victims with the help they need to become survivors with a chance for a fresh start.”

The Kentucky Office of Attorney General’s Department of Criminal Investigations and Human Trafficking Investigation Unit led the operation in McCracken County and supported operations in Warren County.

“We know that human trafficking transcends county and state lines, and multistate efforts like Operation United Front are essential to addressing the human trafficking crisis in our communities,” said Attorney General Daniel Cameron. “Every arrest made leads to one less trafficker on our streets and sends a message that we will not allow any person to exploit another through labor and sex trafficking. I’m incredibly grateful for the collaboration and for the partnerships exhibited throughout this operation, and I extend my sincere thanks to law enforcement across Kentucky who worked tirelessly to carry out Operation United Front.”

Across the country, the following agencies participated in or conducted separate state level operations: Missouri Attorney General’s Office; Missouri State Highway Patrol; Iowa Department of Public Safety; Kentucky Attorney General’s Office; Kentucky State Police; Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension; Nashville Metropolitan Police Department; Nebraska State Patrol; Nebraska Human Trafficking Task Force; North Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation; Oklahoma City Police Department; Tulsa Police Department; South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation; Tennessee Bureau of Investigation; Texas Attorney General’s Office; Texas Human Trafficking Rescue Alliance Task Force; Round Rock Police Department; Austin Police Department; Homeland Security Investigations; and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Results from Operation United Front by State:

• Missouri: Two arrests made, four victims rescued
• Illinois: Three arrests made, one victim rescued
• Iowa: Three arrests made, 10 victims rescued
• Kentucky: 46 arrests made, 21 victims rescued (including two minor victims)
• Minnesota: Three arrests made, eight victims rescued
• Nebraska: Seven arrests made
• North Dakota: Three arrests made, six victims rescued
• Oklahoma: 13 arrests made, one victim rescued
• Tennessee: Six arrests made, two victims rescued
• Texas: Two arrests made, four victims rescued
• Wisconsin: Five arrests made

South Dakota previously conducted a weeklong operation during the Sturgis Biker Rally, and arrested nine individuals.

Gov. Beshear has made fighting human trafficking a core mission during his time in elected office.

As attorney general, Beshear’s office established itself as the leading agency in Kentucky’s fight against human trafficking. He created the Office of Child Abuse and Human Trafficking Prevention and Prosecution, assigned staff to assist local law enforcement with resources in an effort to resolve human trafficking complaints and trained thousands of individuals statewide.

The Office of the Attorney General also arrested a historic level of child predators during Beshear’s term. He also created the Survivor’s Council, which provided a way for survivors of violent crimes, including human trafficking, to advise and assist the office on matters related to victims of crime.

In 2020, Gov. Beshear announced $37 million in grant funding from the Victims of Crime Act program, known as VOCA, to 133 crime victim service providers in Kentucky to respond to the emotional and physical needs of survivors and provide a much-deserved measure of safety and security.

In May 2021, Gov. Beshear announced a $1 million federal grant from the U.S. Department of Justice will help the state address key findings of the University of Louisville (UofL) Human Trafficking Research Initiative’s Project PIVOT: Prevention and Intervention for Victims of Trafficking, a two-year research project.

When Gov. Beshear served as Attorney General, his office collaborated with Project PIVOT on the research. Now that he is Governor, his administration is working to carry out the project’s recommendations, which include the Department for Community Based Services (DCBS) creating an advisory council; launching a human trafficking and child labor screening tool to identify high-risk children; and hiring a full-time child protection specialist.

Gov. Beshear also reminds Kentuckians of the legal duty to report suspicions of children involved in the commercial sex trade to DCBS at 1-877-KYSAFE1 and to local law enforcement. Other concerns about possible trafficking activities should be reported to the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888.

Governor included funding for vocational centers in Better Kentucky Plan

FRANKFORT, Ky. (Sept. 1, 2021) – In another significant step forward in his Better Kentucky Plan creating jobs and opportunities in every corner of the commonwealth, Gov. Andy Beshear today announced $75 million has been approved to go to Kentucky school districts to fund renovation projects at Local Area Vocational Education Centers (LAVEC).

The Kentucky School Facilities Construction Commission Board approved the grant funding Wednesday.

“Our vocational programs are essential – providing education for our students, opportunities for our workers and a skilled workforce for our businesses to move our communities forward and continue our economic momentum,” said Gov. Beshear. “This funding will ensure that Kentucky workers have access to state-of-the art vocational facilities to learn the skills and trades they need to compete in our workforce.”

On Wednesday, the construction commission board voted to offer grants to nine school districts which operate LAVEC programs. Funding can be used to cover the cost of renovations, which include updating, expanding, repairing, replacing or rebuilding a structure.

The following school districts have been approved for LAVEC grants by the commission. The districts will allocate funds to the projects for which they applied.

• Magoffin County – $4,369,318
• Christian County – $10,000,000
• Bardstown Independent – $10,000,000
• Johnson County – $10,000,000
• Lawrence County – $9,280,350
• Fayette County – $10,000,000
• Knox County – $10,000,000
• Trigg County – $10,000,000
• Ballard County – $68,896

Most LAVEC programs are connected to — or housed in — area high schools. The school districts chosen for funding were among nearly three dozen qualified applicants. Applications were evaluated by the commission based upon: age of current vocational education facility, financial need, county unemployment rate and LAVEC enrollment.

“This is a unique opportunity to upgrade and improve the quality of vocational education for hundreds of Kentuckians. We have hundreds of millions worth of building and renovation requests in the queue. These General Fund dollars shortens that list and gets shovels in the ground by 2022,” said Chelsey Couch, executive director of the Kentucky School Construction Facilities Commission.

School districts submitted 32 applications with $229 million in requested financial assistance for their vocational centers, exceeding the $75 million in funding available through this program. The Governor will be reviewing qualifying projects for potential inclusion in his upcoming recommended budget he will submit in January.

Through a bipartisan agreement with legislators, the Governor’s Better Kentucky Plan aims to create 14,500 jobs and will help Kentucky lead in the coming post-COVID economy. The plan allocates more than $750 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds to build schools, expand access to broadband and deliver clean drinking water and quality sewer systems across the commonwealth.

In August, Gov. Beshear announced a Request for Proposals from broadband providers for the first $50 million to expand broadband access in unserved communities. The Governor has awarded $13.6 million from the Cleaner Water Program for projects in Shelby and Fayette Counties. Gov. Beshear has also announced $127 million dollars in funding for 12 local school to fund construction and renovation projects.

Read about other key updates, actions and information from Gov. Beshear and his administration at governor.ky.gov and kycovid19.ky.gov.

Project earns regional “operations excellence” award in America’s Transportation Awards program

FRANKFORT, Ky. (Sept. 1, 2021) – Today, Gov. Andy Beshear announced that the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) emergency project to quickly repair and reopen the Brent Spence Bridge following a disastrous truck crash and fire has earned a prestigious award.

The project was singled out for regional recognition in the America’s Transportation Awards “operations excellence” category, sponsored annually by AAA, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO).

“Quickly restoring safe access to this critically important bridge was an all-out effort by our Kentucky Transportation Cabinet team members and their partners,” Gov. Beshear said. “It was never about awards, but it was an extraordinary project, and it’s gratifying to see their hard work recognized.”

The America’s Transportation Awards competition serves as a way to recognize state transportation agencies and highlight the projects they deliver to make their communities better places to live, work and play. All nominated projects first compete on a regional level against other projects of like size. The Brent Spence Bridge emergency repair project was nominated for “Operations Excellence, Small Category” – less than $25 million – in a nine-state Mid-America region.

From regional competitions, 12 projects will be selected to compete for a national Grand Prize selected by an independent panel of industry judges and a People’s Choice Award chosen by the general public through online voting.

The two-deck Brent Spence Bridge carries 160,000 vehicles a day across the Ohio River between Covington and Cincinnati on Interstate Highways 71 and 75. It was abruptly closed Nov. 11, 2020, after two tractor-trailers collided about midway on the bridge’s lower deck, causing fire damage to a portion of the bridge. Forty-one days later, on Dec. 22, 2020, the bridge was reopened to traffic, fully restored, under budget and ahead of schedule.

“We appreciate the recognition symbolized by this award,” Kentucky Transportation Secretary Jim Gray said. “At the time, no one was thinking about awards. Our team was laser focused on restoring a vital interstate connection under challenging circumstances: a global pandemic, cold weather, the holiday season and a major interruption to one of the most commercially important river crossings in the Eastern United States.”

“As the COVID-19 pandemic forced many Americans to drastically change work patterns, state DOT employees continued the harrowing work of keeping our transportation systems operating safely and efficiently for those who had to travel, whether by vehicle or other means,” AASHTO Executive Director Jim Tymon said. “The America’s Transportation Awards program highlights just a few of the projects and programs across the country that had a positive impact on our communities’ quality of life during an otherwise uncertain time.”

The Brent Spence Bridge emergency repair project has won other honors, including Public Works Project of the Year by the American Public Works Association and the 2021 Project Award ($5 million or less) by the American Society of Highway Engineers, Bluegrass Chapter.

The Harlan Senior Center will be closed and suspending all services until Tuesday, September 7th.
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August 30, 2021

Appalachian Regional Healthcare (ARH) announced today the appointment of Roy Milwee to the position of ARH Vice President of Ambulatory Services, where he will provide leadership for the health system’s wide range of outpatient services across eastern Kentucky and southern West Virginia.

Milwee has been a leader in ambulatory services for ARH since June 2016, first as a system administrator responsible for leading 80-plus clinic operations throughout and mostly recently, serving as the Chief Executive Officer of Ambulatory Services.

“A major part of ARH’s commitment to our communities is to provide locally accessible options for a wide-range of healthcare services. This not only includes the advanced medical services or emergency care we provide in our hospitals, but the equally important ambulatory care provided at our clinic locations and provider offices. These services assist our patients in being proactive in managing their chronic health conditions to help prevent serious illnesses and improve their overall health,” said ARH President and CEO Hollie Harris Phillips. “For the past nine years Roy has played a major role in the creation and implementation of these services throughout our ARH service area. I appreciate his expertise in managing ambulatory services combined with his strong commitment to improving the health of our communities and am excited for the future of ambulatory care at ARH under his direction.”

In his new role, Milwee will provide strategic leadership for clinical operations and will establish and maintain an effective overall organization of outpatient services. He also will direct in conjunction with the department managers and department administrators, the selection, employment, compensation and evaluation of employees within the ambulatory operations. Milwee also is responsible for the effective development of outpatient facility resources.

Milwee began his career with ARH in 2009 as a Community Based Planner where he coordinated and developed strategic plans for many ARH services and later served as Assistant Administrator for Mary Breckinridge ARH Hospital, assisting with the transition of the hospital into the ARH healthcare system, before moving his focus to ambulatory services. He received a Bachelor of Science in business administration from Union College in Barbourville, Ky. and completed his Master of Business Administration in healthcare management from the University of Phoenix.

“I am humbled and honored to be a part of a mission-driven organization like ARH,” said Milwee. “Being a native of Eastern Kentucky, I take great pride in helping improve access to high quality care for our communities.  I am thankful for this opportunity and look forward to further serving the people in Eastern Kentucky and Southern West Virginia.”

Due to a rising number of staff and teachers in quarantine, Evarts Elementary School will be closed Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, September 1-3, 2021. Classes will resume on Tuesday, September 7.

Classes will continue until the regular dismissal time today.

Athletic and other activities at Evarts are cancelled during this time.

The number of teachers and staff who are in quarantine as a result of exposure, necessitates the school close. We have reached the number of employees who are now in quarantine that we can not deliver required services at Evarts Elementary.

Custodial staff will continue to sanitize and deep clean the school.

Again, classes will resume on Tuesday, September 7.

Any weather related cancelations will be posted here.