A grand jury on Monday returned a felony indictment against a Heathcliff Drive man and referred several misdemeanor charges against him back to Madison District Court.
Whitney Wayne Willis, 25, was indicted on two counts of first-degree wanton endangerment and one count of first-degree criminal mischief in connection with an Oct. 18 incident.
Misdemeanor charges of fourth-degree assault, harassing communications and third-degree terroristic threatening were all referred back to district court for further proceedings.
All the charges stem from Willis allegedly becoming involved in an altercation at a party with a woman who lived in the 100 block of S. Killarney Lane.
Willis is accused of going to the woman’s apartment around 4 a.m. Oct. 18 and firing a shotgun at the building.
Police were called to the scene and found the front window of the home was shattered, Richmond police said after Willis’ arrest.
The wanton endangerment charges stem from the woman’s mother and 6-year-old daughter being asleep inside the home when the shooting took place.
The misdemeanor charges came from the same altercation, and court dates for those charges have not been scheduled.
Willis is scheduled to be arraigned on the felony charges in Madison Circuit Court on Jan. 7 at 11:30 a.m.
If convicted, Willis could receive sentences of up to five years in prison on each of the felony charges.
Forged bills
A Georgia man was indicted Monday on five counts of first-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument for allegedly having $500 in counterfeit money.
Charles Demetrius Simmons, 45, was arrested Oct. 6 outside Walmart on the Eastern Bypass after allegedly attempting to use four counterfeit $100 bills to purchase a laptop computer.
At a November preliminary hearing in district court, Garry Murphy, the Richmond Police Department officer who arrested Simmons, testified that employees at the store refused to accept the bills because the security features on the bills were from a $5 bill, and all the bills had the same serial number.
Murphy found a fifth bill in Simmons’ pocket while searching him after his arrest. Simmons had attempted to flee the store after the transaction was refused.
If convicted, Simmons could receive five to 10 years in prison on each of the five counts for a maximum of 50 years.
Arraignment is set for Thursday, Jan. 14 at 11:30 a.m.
An indictment is a formal statement of charges and does not imply guilt.
Brian Smith may be reached at bsmith@
richmondregister.com or at 624-6694.
Local News
Man indicted for shooting at apartment
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Measuring education
Brent Ray, a local contractor, helps Kit Carson Elementary third-graders Nathan Buck and Anijah Rembert measure an outside wall Thursday morning during a class project to determine the perimeter of the school. The third-grade class broke into groups to measure sections of the outside walls which they used to find the perimeter.
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Kiwanis auction Saturday at City Hall
The annual Richmond Kiwanis Club auction will take place Saturday from 9 a.m. until about 5 p.m. with proceedings carried live on TimeWarner Cable Channel 12 and WEKY 1340 AM Radio.
“We have lots of great stuff, as we always do,” said Amanda Stepp, the auction coordinator.
“We have gift cards for almost every restaurant in Richmond as well as two pickup trucks that will be sold,” she said. -
Man pleads guilty to voyeurism charge
A man accused of taking pictures of a woman showering at a Berea truck stop was sentenced to probation Wednesday in Madison District Court.
Paul S. Byrd, 41, of McKee, was arrested Oct. 29 by the Kentucky State Police after a woman reported the incident at the 76 Truck Center off Interstate 75. -
Berea one of state’s first five cultural districts
The Kentucky Arts Council on Thursday named Berea one of the state’s first five certified cultural districts.
Although the legislature designated Berea the state’s Arts and Crafts Capital in the 1990s, this newest designation will draw even more attention and tourism to the city, said Belle Jackson, Berea’s tourism director. -
LRC plans to appeal judge’s HB1 ruling
The leadership of the General Assembly announced Thursday it plans to appeal Franklin Circuit Judge Phillip Shepherd’s ruling that the legislature’s plan to re-draw state legislative boundaries is unconstitutional.
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Facebook post leads to arrest
A post on the Richmond Police Department’s Facebook page led to the arrest of a man suspected of stealing two Blu-Ray players from Walmart.
Walmart employees reported to police Jan. 25 that a man had concealed the electronics under his coat and attempted to leave the store without paying, said Richmond Police Chief Larry Brock in a news release. -
Four indicted in Berea murder case
The death of a Berea man and the attempted murder of another came at the hands of four people, according to indictments handed down Wednesday by a Madison grand jury.
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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. -
Berea woman dies Tuesday in Laurel County crash
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.
After being extricated from her vehicle, Johnson was transported to St. Joseph-London hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Joseph also was transported to the hospital, where he was treated for minor injuries, according to the accident report. -
Finally February
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. - More Local News Headlines
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