CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The former mayor of Williamson will have to pay nearly $55,000 in restitution and fines after pleading guilty to embezzlement, but will not spend any time in prison. Charles Hatfield, 62, pleaded guilty to a federal theft charge stemming from his time as CEO of Williamson Memorial Hospital in 2018. With his plea, he admitted to having more than $9,000 in hospital funds sent to pay delinquent taxes and homeowner’s fees for his Florida condo. He also admitted to directing more than $25,000 in hospital funds to be transferred to pay one of his personal debts. That […]

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PRESTONSBURG, Ky. — The prosecutor over the Amber Spradlin murder case is asking the judge to provide clarification on the amount of time one of the defendants can spend at his restaurant. Commonwealth’s Attorney Brent Turner said he was prompted to investigate after hearing rumors that Michael McKinney had been spending large amounts of time at the Brickhouse Restaurant, which he co-owns. Turner obtained records of McKinney’s GPS tracking device over the past six weeks, which showed that the rumors were somewhat overblown, but did indicate he had visited the restaurant a dozen times during that time period. Notably, McKinney […]

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SIDNEY, Ky. — A Pike County business caught a man trespassing on their property and believes it has solved a string of copper thefts that have plagued them for years. Kentucky State Police was called just before 3:30 a.m. Thursday to EMF Rebuild Shop at Sidney, after the security guard reported catching the man and detaining him. When troopers arrived, they found the guard, the business owner and an employee all keeping an eye on Donald Messer Jr., 32, of Sidney. The guard told police he saw Messer crossing a gate to get on the property, then found him hiding […]

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STEELE, Ky. — A third person has now been arrested for the shooting death of a Pike County man over the weekend. Christopher Lester, 42, of Steele, was found dead of gunshot wounds on Saturday. Michael Shane Brown, 41, of Feds Creek, was arrested for his murder in Virginia later that day, and Anthony Clyde Browning, 30, of Thacker, W.Va., was arrested in Mingo County on Tuesday. Both men were charged with Lester’s murder. On Wednesday, Michael Shortridge, 25, of Feds Creek, was also arrested and charged with murder. The arrest warrant notes Shortridge initially came to police’s attention during […]

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STEELE, Ky. — Two men have been arrested out of state, accused of killing a man in Pike County. Kentucky State Police responded to a shooting Saturday on Laurel Fork at Steele. There, they found the body of Christopher Lester, 42, of Steele, dead of gunshot wounds. The investigation identified two suspects, Michael Brown, 41, of Feds Creek, and Anthony Clyde Browning, 30, of Thacker, W.Va., who have both now been arrested. Brown was arrested Saturday by the Buchanan County Sheriff’s Office. Browning was arrested Tuesday in Mingo County by the Mingo County Sheriff’s Office, Matewan Police, West Virginia State […]

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