Jaclyn Dawn VanWinkle will be evaluated for her competency to stand trial after a request Thursday afternoon by her attorney.
VanWinkle’s lawyer, Richmond attorney Mike Eubanks, asked Madison Circuit Judge Jean C. Logue to order an evaluation for VanWinkle during a pretrial conference on third-degree rape, third-degree sodomy, third-degree unlawful transaction with a minor and first-degree sexual abuse charges.
The charges stem from an alleged sexual relationship between VanWinkle and a 15-year-old boy in which she allegedly had sex with the boy, performed oral sex on him and gave him alcohol.
VanWinkle told Richmond police during an interview following her June 30 arrest that she did have sex with the boy once and gave him alcohol she had purchased for him, but denied the boy’s allegations that they had sex twice and that she had performed oral sex on him twice.
Doctors from the Kentucky Correctional Psychiatric Center in La Grange will perform the observation and determine if VanWinkle is competent to stand trial. Logue scheduled a Dec. 10 pretrial conference to allow attorneys to discuss the evaluation.
If convicted, VanWinkle could receive up to five years in prison on each of the rape, sodomy and sexual abuse charges and up to 12 months in jail on the unlawful transaction charge.
She already was on probation for two years following a guilty plea to reckless abuse or neglect of an adult in connection with her role in the abuse of a Madison Manor resident while working at the facility as a nurse’s aide.
That plea was part of an agreement with state prosecutors that requires her to cooperate with their investigation, and her probation included the condition that she commit no additional offenses.
Endangerment plea
A McKee man entered a guilty plea to a single first-degree wanton endangerment charge for brandishing a firearm at a Bradbury Pointe resident.
Farris Dwayne VanWinkle, 48, entered the plea in exchange for dismissal of a persistent felony offender charge and a charge of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and prosecutors recommended a five-year prison sentence.
VanWinkle was arrested July 29 after the resident of a home in the 100 block of Bradbury Pointe reported he pointed a .38-caliber revolver at her.
He allegedly was drunk at the time, and had parked in a nearby driveway and staggered into the home’s front yard, the resident told police. VanWinkle produced the firearm after the woman asked him to leave.
He was indicted in late August on the charges, and is free on bond. Sentencing in the case is scheduled for Dec. 10.
Trafficking plea
A Richmond woman, arrested by police for drug trafficking after an indictment against her was unsealed by the court, pleaded guilty and told Logue she had sold prescription pills to an undercover officer.
Linda C. Johnson, 52, of Westover Avenue, had been arrested Sept. 16 after a second-degree trafficking in controlled substances indictment against her was unsealed.
Johnson entered a plea and received a recommended one-year sentence on the charge as part of an agreement with prosecutors, and told Logue she sold prescription Lortab pills to an undercover Richmond police officer.
“I didn’t know I was selling to an undercover cop,” Johnson told Logue while choking back tears.
Final sentencing is scheduled in the case for Nov. 12.
Brian Smith may be reached at bsmith@richmondregister.com or at 624-6694.
Local News
Evaluation ordered for VanWinkle in rape case
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Judge weighs constitutionality of legislative redistricting
Kentucky’s deadline for filing to run for legislative seats was in flux on Monday because a judge did not immediately rule on a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of newly redrawn district boundaries.
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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A Richmond country club is no longer offering dining to members, but remains available for catered events and will be open on certain holidays.
Arlington Country Club, which has been a staple of Eastern Kentucky University for the past 40 years, laid off all dining staff late last week, according to Tom Coffey of the EKU Foundation.
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About 1:53 a.m. Friday, police received a call about a man who was threatening someone with a knife at the motel on North Keeneland Drive, according to Richmond Police Chief Larry Brock.
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(Editor’s note: The following story contains graphic information some readers may find offensive.)
A Richmond man has been arrested for possession of child pornography as a result of a nearly one-year investigation by local police.
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Noted author to deliver keynote address for Black History Month
Almost a year ago, Arnold Rampersad stood in the East Room of the White House as he was presented the National Humanities Medal by President Barack Obama.
On Thursday, Feb. 16, the noted author will stand in O’Donnell Hall of Eastern Kentucky University’s Student Success Building to deliver the keynote address for the university’s Black History Month observance. Rampersad’s visit is also part of Eastern’s year-long Chautauqua lecture series, and the title of his talk, “Black History: The Challenge of Living with Others,” coincides with this year’s Chautauqua theme, “Living with Others: Challenges and Promises.” -
Habitat for Humanity
Habitat for Humanity of Madison and Clark Counties, which has built 160 homes for people in need since 1992, is seeking applicants for partner families, according to Judy Flavell, executive director of the organization.
“We really need applicants right now,” Flavell said. “More people can qualify for Habitat homes than people realize.”
Eligible applicants must have lived in Madison or Clark counties for at least one year, have a stable income, be able to pay a modest monthly mortgage and be able to demonstrate that their current housing is overcrowded, physically substandard, too expensive, unsafe, or they are living in subsidized housing, according to Habitat.
For more information about eligibility, or to apply, call Habitat for Humanity at 625-9208 or visit its office at 1417 East Main Street in Richmond. Visit online at habitatmadisonclark.org. -
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For local adults who are experiencing memory loss related to dementia or Alzheimer’s, the Department of Occupational Therapy at Eastern Kentucky University has provided “The Place to Be” for the past two decades.
The department will again sponsor the free eight-week program on Thursdays and Fridays, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., beginning Feb. 9. Participants can attend Thursday and/or Friday. Applications still are being accepted (call 893-0653) for the free service, which is offered in Room 100 of the Dizney Building on EKU’s campus. -
Bible Belt towns in state consider going ‘wet’
In this Appalachian college town where socially conservative views are bedrocks of life, some people want to do what was once unthinkable: legalize liquor sales.
Supporters say passing the measure in Tuesday’s special election in Barbourville would tap a new revenue source in a place where hundreds of jobs are evaporating as one plant shuts down and another cuts its workforce in half. But from the pulpits to the courthouse square, opponents have been pressing their case that uncorking liquor sales would irreparably harm the town of about 3,200. - More Local News Headlines
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