A Lexington man who pleaded guilty Thursday during a pretrial conference in Madison Circuit Court to three charges involving fleeing police, criminal mischief and drugs was sentenced to eight years in prison.
Tyrone Hartsfield, 31, of Kilkenny Drive, pleaded guilty to first-degree fleeing or evading police, first-degree criminal mischief and first-degree possession of a controlled substance first offense (cocaine). Nine misdemeanor charges were dropped.
Madison Circuit Judge Jean Chenault Logue recommended that Hartsfield serve five years on the fleeing charge, one year on the criminal mischief charge and two years on the controlled substance charge.
His sentences are to be served consecutively, Logue said.
When Hartsfield was indicted by a Madison grand jury in September, he originally was charged with fleeing or evading police, operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol, menacing, wanton endangerment, unlawful imprisonment, possession of a controlled substance, reckless driving, criminal mischief, tampering with physical evidence and failure to maintain automobile insurance.
Hartsfield was first spotted in the early morning hours of Aug. 27 by Richmond Police Officer Kurt Heatherton on patrol in the downtown area.
Spotting a gold Honda Accord occupied by a male and female parked close to the Home Lumber Co. on North Third St., at 1:42 a.m., the officer stopped to investigate.
As he neared the car, the driver, later identified as Hartsfield, started the vehicle and despite Heatherton’s commands for him to stop, started to flee the scene, said Sgt. Willard Reardon at the time of the indictment. Reardon serves as the public information officer for the Richmond Police Department.
Moving away from the area, Hartsfield was next spotted traveling north on Red House Road by Officer Joe Johnson.
“Officer Johnson initiated a traffic stop on the vehicle and Hartsfield stopped in the driveway of 1509 Red House Road, but refused orders to turn off the vehicle and exit,” Reardon said.
Hartsfield then allegedly accelerated up the driveway of the home and around a barn located on the property, police said.
Following the winding trail of the vehicle, officers observed that Hartsfield had driven through three wooden fences on the property — unleashing three horses as he crashed through — before becoming stuck on an embankment.
Hartsfield, who police say appeared to be “intoxicated and belligerent,” was taken into custody.
As he was being searched by police, money fell from Hartsfield’s pocket, police said.
“He stepped on the money and was rubbing it with his foot,” Reardon said. “When the money was retrieved by officers it was found to contain a small quantity of suspected cocaine.”
“In the money was a small yellow baggie with a yellowish substance inside,” Johnson said. “When it was tested, it was cocaine.”
The nine other charges against Hartsfield were dropped after agreeing with the commonwealth to plead guilty to the three felony counts.
Ronica Shannon can be reached at rshannon@richmondregister.com or 623-1669, Ext. 234.
Local News
Man to serve eight years for drugs, fleeing
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Friday at library : Lecturer to portray founder of Berea
John G. Fee, abolitionist and founder of both Berea and Berea College, will be portrayed Friday night by performer Obadiah Ewing-Roush as part of Kentucky Humanities Council Chautauqua performance series at the Madison County Public Library. There is no charge to attend the 7 p.m. event.
As the son of a slave-holding father, Fee witnessed firsthand the benefits of having slaves and the profits that could be made from their labor. When he graduated from college and enrolled in Lane Theological Seminary, he began to understand the inherent wrong and destructiveness of slavery. -
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A Berea woman, Tommie Johnson, 60, died Tuesday evening in a Laurel County crash, according to the the Laurel Sheriff’s Office.
The accident took place about 7 p.m. at the junction of Maple Grove Road and KY 363 south of London, as Johnson was attempting to turn onto the state highway.
Laurel County Chief Deputy Eddy Sizemore said Johnson’s Chevrolet Cavalier pulled out in front of a Dodge Durango driven by Charles Joseph, 19, that was traveling south on KY 363.
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Joseph also was transported to the hospital, where he was treated for minor injuries, according to the accident report. -
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Ian Rosser, an Eastern Kentucky University student from Lexington, clears snow from his car parked on campus Wednesday
morning after about an inch of snow fell in Richmond. Temperatures are forcast to be in the upper 40s today. Kentucky has seen a lot of rain in the past few months, as was predicted by the Farmer's Almanac, but very little snow has fallen. -
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The Appalachian Foothills Therapeutic Equestrian Center will be hosting two, one-day volunteer training workshops for those interested in helping others with special needs.
The volunteer orientation days will be Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., but only one day of training is required, according to Mark Martin who co-owns Appalachian Foothills Therapeutic Equestrian Center (AFTEC) with his wife Cheryl.
The all-volunteer organization, which is based in Jackson County, uses horses to help humans deal with physical and emotional challenges. -
Man accused of holding samurai sword to girlfriend’s throat
A Madison grand jury will hear the case of a man accused of threatening to cut his girlfriend’s head off, and attacking her father with a samurai sword.
Russell M. Masters, 42, of Richmond, is charged with two counts of first-degree wanton endangerment, which is a Class D felony, and fourth-degree assault (domestic violence with minor injury) and resisting arrest, which both are Class A misdemeanors. Masters could receive one to five years in prison on each wanton endangerment charge, and the misdemeanors both carry a maximum sentence of one year in jail. -
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A woman reported to police Monday that she had discovered several items that were missing from her home on South Killarney Drive and her grandmother’s home on Raintree Drive, according to Richmond Police Chief Larry Brock. The items were a set of gold hoop earrings, a white Sony Vaio laptop, a yellow gold heart pendant, a gold tennis bracelet and a ladies’ wedding band with a diamond setting.
The complainant said the belongings had gone missing sometime between August and October. -
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Several people operating businesses along a section of US 25 gave comments Tuesday to the Berea City Council, asking them reconsider plans to widen the road to five lanes.
The design is a five-lane highway with a center turn lane and a 10-foot shared use path on one side and a 5-foot sidewalk on the other side. -
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The attorney for a man accused of stealing copper from a handful of electric poles questioned his identification as the same person who took copper from 32 poles two days earlier.
Public defender Meena Mohanty questioned Richmond police officer Nicholas Duvall during a preliminary hearing Wednesday in Madison District Court. Her client, Jeffrey W. Nester, 46, of Fourth Street, was arrested in connection with a Jan. 23 copper theft. He is charged with second-degree criminal mischief, theft by unlawful taking, possession of burglary tools and failure to notify address change to the Department of Transportation. These charges are all misdemeanors that, at most, carry a sentence of one year in prison. -
Judge weighs constitutionality of legislative redistricting
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Franklin County Circuit Judge Phillip Shepherd said he expects to enter a ruling in the case by mid-week.
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A couple was hospitalized after their home was set ablaze Sunday by a spark from a cigar, according to a county fire official.
County Fire Chief Jim Cox said the city and county fire departments were called to the home at 111 Concord Road in the early afternoon. Waco Volunteer Fire Department and the Richmond Fire Department also responded.
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