RICHMOND —
Gary L. Foster Jr., 33, was scheduled to stand trial Friday on a misdemeanor animal cruelty charge, but the proceeding was cancelled after Madison District Judge Earl-Ray Neal, who was to preside, recused himself Wednesday.
The case will be assigned to another judge and rescheduled, according to information provided by the District Court Clerk’s office.
Court records did not contain an explanation for the judge’s recusal, and Neal said he could not comment.
Foster was charged Aug. 17 after sheriff’s deputies say he struck a 3-month-old kitten with a golf club four days earlier, breaking both its front legs.
Foster was referred to a Madison County grand jury by district court on a felony charge, but the case was sent back as second-degree animal cruelty, a Class A misdemeanor, which carries a sentence of 90 days to 12 months in jail and a fine of no more than $500.
Animal lovers both locally and beyond took up the kitten’s cause and named him Lucky. Rocky Alan Alexander, who found the injured kitten, created a Facebook page and posted updates about its progress and the status of Foster’s criminal case.
Lucky was treated at Barnes Mill Animal Hospital, and donations from well-wishers paid for the kitten’s treatment.
Crime
Animal cruelty trial delayed after judge recuses himself
- Crime
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Two arrested in suspected drug deal
Dustin Prather, 30, of Walnut Meadow Pike, and Jacqueline F. Coffey, 44, of Irvine, were charged Saturday with first- and third-degree trafficking of a controlled substance.
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BPD: Man charged with clubbing victim outside hospital
A fight Thursday night near the entrance to the emergency room at St. Joseph Berea hospital landed two men in jail.
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Two charged in Peytontown Road home invasion
Two people allegedly involved in a home invasion and assault Monday night at a Peytontown Road Road residence have been charged with several felonies.
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3 injured in home invasion
Three people were treated at area hospitals Monday night after a home invasion was reported at a residence between Berea and Paint Lick.
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KSP find meth lab on Villa Drive
Kentucky State Police arrested two people Friday after finding an active methamphetamine lab in a Villa Drive apartment.
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Second person arrested in robbery outside bar
A second person had been charged in connection with a robbery that happened in early May outside an East Irvine Street bar.
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BPD: Five charged with trafficking controlled substance on Owsley Fork
Five people were charged Sunday with first-degree drug trafficking after Berea Police officers, along with deputies from the Madison County Sheriff’s Department, executed a search warrant at a residence in the 200 block of Owsley Fork Road.
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Couple waives extradition to Ohio in child-death investigation
A couple arrested Friday in Richmond waived extradition Monday from Madison County and were returned to Hillsborough, Ohio, where they face charges in the death of a 1-year-old boy whose body was found buried in a wooded area near there.
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Man charged with endangerment, DUI after accident with child in car
Brian H. Abner, 38, of Lee Drive, was arrested on wanton endangerment and other charges Friday after he was involved in a traffic accident, according to a Richmond police report.
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Three arrested Friday, Saturday on felony theft, other charges
On Saturday, Richmond police arrested Julisa J. Crum, 22, of Ivel in Floyd County, on theft and drug charges after Walmart employees said she attempt to leave the store with more than $1,500 in merchandise without paying.
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