Local News
Pretrial diversion sought in drug trafficking case
A man charged with twice selling prescription pills to an undercover informant and intimidating a witness is seeking to have his case diverted before it goes to trial.
Gary Johnson, 46, of Luxon Drive, is facing two counts of second-degree trafficking in controlled substances and a charge of intimidating a participant in a legal process.
He was arrested in September after an indictment returned by a Madison County grand jury was unsealed. The indictment was based on an investigation by the Richmond Police Department’s narcotics unit.
Johnson is the brother of Central Kentucky Area Drug Task Force director Rick Johnson, according to information provided by Richmond police.
According to court records, Gary Johnson allegedly sold hydrocodone pills to an informant working for Richmond police in transactions on Feb. 20, 2009, and March 2, 2009.
The indictment also alleges that during a period from June 15 to July 10, he attempted to intimidate a witness in his case by threatening to kill the witness.
The diversion motion filed Oct. 12 by Gary Johnson’s attorney, Richmond lawyer Jimmy Dale Williams, seeks to have the charges diverted because they are the first felony charges against Johnson.
The motion also cites the fact that Johnson has a disability claim pending and is unable to work, and suggests that random drug testing be a requirement of the diversion plan.
If the motion is granted and Johnson successfully completes the diversion, the charges against him would be dismissed.
The prosecutor in the case, assistant commonwealth’s attorney Moriah Greer, filed a response to the motion that objects to diversion being granted.
Greer declined to comment Friday when asked about the case except to state that a response to the motion had been filed with the court.
Johnson is free on a $10,000 bond at 10 percent, court records show. Madison Circuit Judge Jean C. Logue is scheduled to hear the motion at 12:30 p.m. Monday.
Attempts to reach Rick Johnson for comment went unreturned.
Brian Smith may be reached at bsmith@richmondregister.com or at 624-6694.
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Berea men arrested for robbery
Berea police arrested two men in connection with a March 8 robbery at a check-cashing business, a spokesman said Monday.
Shawn Burns, 32, was charged with first-degree robbery and misdemeanor receiving stolen property, while Bradley Lamb, 21, was charged with complicity to first-degree robbery and misdemeanor receiving stolen property, said Capt. Ken Clark, Berea Police Department spokesman. -
City seeks proposals for Gibson Bay Cafe
The operation lease for Gibson Bay Cafe expires at the end of May, and the City of Richmond will be accepting bids for the operation of the restaurant from the public until Friday, March 26.
Gibson Bay Cafe, which is located at Lake Reba Recreational Complex on the Gibson Bay Golf Course, is owned by city commissioner Bill Strong and his wife Jeanie Strong. -
Reports of home burglaries keep Richmond police busy
The new owner of a mobile home on Bradbury Pointe reported to Richmond police Friday that appliances had been stolen from the home.
A stainless steel refrigerator, a white stove, a white microwave and a three-ton Trane heating and air conditioning unit were discovered to be missing from the home on March 7, said Chief Larry Brock. -
Parents upset about test scores, deficiencies
The frustration was evident in the voices of a number of Berea Community School parents who spent more than an hour Monday night addressing the Berea Independent Board of Education.
The parents spent most of the evening talking directly to middle school/high school principal John Masters about a lack of communication with school personnel and asking for answers about how the district intends to correct a number of deficiencies identified by the state in a December audit. -
Time to stand up, be counted
Madison County households will be receiving questionnaires in the mail today through Wednesday from the U.S. Census Bureau which is carrying out it constitutional mandate to count all U.S. citizens every 10 years.
Letters were mailed last week advising household to be watching for the census questionnaire, according to J.C. Barbour, the bureau’s media specialist for Kentucky. -
‘Sunshine Boys’ dedicated to Kerby’s memory
The late Dr. Clifford Kerby, former mayor of Berea, was a longtime supporter and often an actor in community theater.
One of his favorite plays, in which he played one of the two lead roles for the old Berea Community Theater back in 1977, was “The Sunshine Boys,” said his wife Diane. -
Two chances to meet, hear candidates
“You can’t tell the players without a program,” vendors at old minor league baseball games used to yell.
With so many local candidates in the running for election this year, voters may know too little about them to make an informed choice, some observers have remarked.
However, two Madison County organizations have scheduled events for Thursday evening to help clarify who the candidates are and what they stand for. -
Local group to meet on skate park on Tuesday
A local group seeking to build a public skateboard park in Richmond will conduct a public meeting next week in downtown Richmond.
Skate Richmond, KY is a non-profit group founded in 2007, according to group member and local attorney Wesley Browne, and is interested in constructing a public skateboard park in downtown Richmond. -
Lots of ‘energy’ at expo Saturday
Gloomy weather and college basketball did not keep people away from Saturday’s Madison County Home Energy Expo at the Perkins Building on Eastern Kentucky University’s campus.
The second-annual event, hosted by Madison County’s University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension office, moved to the EKU campus this year after last year’s event was conducted at Glenn Marshall Elementary School. -
Kentucky Blood Center collection Tuesday in Berea
Kentucky Blood Center will conduct a blood drive on Tuesday from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. at Union Church in the Community Room, 200 Prospect St., Berea.
Every volunteer who presents to donate blood with the Kentucky Blood Center (KBC) will have a chance to win a trip to the 2010 NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four games. One winner will receive a package for two that includes hotel stay April 2-6 and tickets to the Final Four (April 3) and Championship Games (April 5) in Indianapolis. The drawing will be conducted on April 1. - More Local News Headlines
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Berea men arrested for robbery
