PRESTONSBURG, Ky. (WMDJ) – Jenny Wiley State Resort Park’s lodge is undergoing $5.5 million in renovations to enhance visitor experiences. Additionally, the park will add a new archery center that will be accessible to the public and provide opportunities for local, invitational, district and regional tournaments.

Gov. Andy Beshear signed legislation in 2023 and 2024 funding for the improvements.

The archery center is scheduled to break ground in the fall of this year. May Lodge, which includes the dining room, meeting rooms and lodge rooms, will close Sept. 1, 2025, for renovations with an estimated completion date in the summer of 2026. During this time, a dining room will operate out of the conference center.

In addition to the lodge closures, the campground and cottages will remain closed to the public, as they are being used to shelter Kentuckians displaced by recent flooding.

FRANKFORT, Ky. (WMDJ) — The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources is asking the public to report wild pig sightings in the community of Printer and surrounding areas in Floyd County, after a group of wild pigs was found and reported to the department in April.

Wild pigs displace game species like deer and turkey, negatively affecting hunter harvest. They also destroy crops and food plots, and they consume an ample amount of acorns in the fall, which many wildlife species heavily rely on as a food source.

Wild pig populations did not naturally expand into Kentucky. Populations are the result of the illegal release of wild pigs. Misguided hunters have intentionally released them in the past in an effort to create new hunting opportunities.

Wild pig hunting is now prohibited in Kentucky. Kentucky Fish and Wildlife asks hunters to report wild pigs to arrange for capture instead of hunting them. Shooting into a group of pigs, also known as a sounder, scatters them. They leave the area and become nocturnal, making them very difficult to find again. By the time they are found, their numbers have doubled or even tripled.

Kentucky Fish and Wildlife has successfully eradicated several populations of wild pigs in the state by working in partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services (USDA WS). Together, we are committed to finding any wild pigs in the area before they spread. Free trapping services are available to anyone with a wild pig presence on their property. Trapping is the recommended and best method to remove groups of wild pigs.

Anyone with information about wild pig sightings, damage to property, forest crops or illegal release is encouraged to submit a report online at squealonpigs.com or via the app (available from the Apple Store or Google Pay), or at fw.ky.gov/wildpigs, or contact Terri Brunjes, wild pig biologist with Kentucky Fish and Wildlife, at 502-892-4548 or at terri.brunjes@ky.gov.

For more information about nuisance wildlife, visit the department website at fw.ky.gov. For questions, please call 1-800-858-1549, 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. (ET) weekdays, excluding holidays.

PIKEVILLE, Ky. (WMDJ) - On Wednesday, two men from Pike County appeared in court in connection to the murder of Timothy Justice, following their arrest in December.

Curtis Jones, 41, of Rockhouse pleaded guilty to murder and various other charges, while James Phillips, 49, of Elkhorn City, pled guilty to burglary, which took place during the murder of Justice.

Jones faces a 30-year concurrent sentence on all charges. Phillips is facing a 15-year sentence.

Sentencing will take place June 27^th.

PRESTONSBURG, Ky. (WMDJ) – Crews continue to clean up from the harsh winter and early spring flooding of Archer Park in Prestonsburg.

City officials have announced that the Archer Park Swimming Pool is scheduled to be open by Saturday, June 7^th.  The date is subject to change.

There are still portions of the park, including one of the playgrounds, that are currently closed due to flood damage.

Preparations are being made to host all “Star City Day” events of the July 4^th holiday in Archer Park. This year, all activities will be at the park, including the carnival, local food, artisan vendors and live music on the new stage, rather than between downtown and the park as in previous years.

PIKEVILLE, Ky. (WMDJ) – Suspended Pike County Circuit Judge Howard Keith Hall, who’s facing federal theft and mail fraud charges, is seeking a delay in his upcoming trial.

The prosecution has presented 3,800 documents totaling over 31,000 pages of evidence, prompting the defense to seek a delay, claiming it would be impossible to be ready for a July 14^th trial date.

Hall is accused of paying an unnamed assistant $440,000 over a 10-year period for, “almost no work,” while he was also a partner in that same assistant’s law firm, where he was paid, “distributions” of nearly half-a-million dollars over a 9-year period.

PIKEVILLE, Ky. (WMDJ) – A Floyd County teenager will face adult charges following a shooting in Pikeville last October.

Brandon Lee Poston, 18, of Allen, has been indicted on several charges, including attempted murder, stemming from an October 6^th incident in the downtown Pikeville parking garage, where two people were shot.

Poston reportedly admitted to firing the gun. A grand jury has ruled he will be tried as an adult. If convicted, Poston could face 10-to-20 years in prison. A warrant has been issued by the special judge overseeing the case.

WAYLAND, Ky. (WMDJ) – A tragedy that occurred over 100 years ago in Floyd County has been memorialized by a group of local historians.

On Memorial Day, the Floyd County Community Remembrance Coalition placed a historical marker to memorialize the 1924 lynching of a black man, Fred “Kid” Shannon, in Wayland.

The effort, five-years in the making, is part of the Equal Justice Initiative Project of Montgomery, Alabama, to memorialize incidents of racial injustice across the country.

On October 26^th, 1924, a mob of 200 masked white men from Floyd County kidnapped and brutally lynched Shannon, a 28-year old musician, who had been arrested and jailed in Wayland for allegedly killing a white man following a monetary dispute. The mob broke into the jail, taking Shannon into the street and shot him at least 18 times.

The historical marker was placed by the old Wayland Jail on Monday. The group also spent the day cleaning up the primarily black cemetery, Spencer Martin Cemetery, on Steele’s Creek in Wayland.

PRESTONSBURG, Ky. (WMDJ) – A trial date has been set for the Amber Spradlin murder case.

Special Judge Eddy Coleman filed an order this week, setting the start date as Monday, December 1^st. Judge Coleman also granted a change of venue motion by the defense, moving the trial to Pike County.

The order also specifically addressed the issue of demonstrators, saying that no group will be allowed to protest on behalf of any party in the case within 25 feet of the entrance of the Pike County Judicial Center.

A pretrial conference is set for July 24^th at 1:30 for MK McKinney, who’s accused of murdering Spradlin, along with Dr. Michael McKinney and Josh Mullins, who face eight counts of tampering with physical evidence.

FLOYD COUNTY, Ky. (WMDJ) – Floyd County Judge Executive Robbie Williams and the Fiscal Court took time to honor a Floyd County native who was instrumental in creating the county’s first garbage collection system.

David Cooley was honored during the Fiscal Court’s monthly meeting on Wednesday. Cooley was the co-founder of the county's first garbage system, Floyd County Solid Waste, serving as Executive Director from 1980 to 1994. Most recently Cooley has overseen Waste Connections in Floyd County for the past 18 years.

Judge Executive Robbie Williams expressed his admiration and gratitude to Cooley for his dedication and service to the citizens of Floyd County with the presentation of a plaque and proclamation.

FLOYD COUNTY, Ky (WMDJ) - The deadline to apply for FEMA assistance is this Sunday, May 25^th for folks in Floyd, Pike and Knott counties with damage or loss from the February storms.

In-person assistance will end on Saturday, May 24th at the Floyd County Board of Education from 9 a.m. until 7 p.m., while online assistance will be available through Sunday.

To apply online visit DisasterAssistance.gov or call 800-621-3362.

Assistance can include grants for home repairs, temporary housing, and other disaster expenses like appliance and furniture replacement and vehicle, well or septic repair.

PRESTONSBURG, Ky. (WMDJ) – A Floyd County man accused of shooting at his ex-wife during a high-speed chase on U.S. 23 earlier this month will have his case sent to a grand jury.

Ronald Ramsey, 46, of Teaberry, allegedly fired eleven shots at a vehicle in which his ex-wife was traveling in, while Ramsey’s 16-year old daughter was riding with him.  

Ramsey has been charged with two counts of attempted murder, one count of first-degree assault and one count of first-degree wanton endangerment. He’s currently being held on a $500,000 full cash bond in the Floyd County Detention Center.

PAINTSVILLE, Ky. (WMDJ) – A Paintsville Police officer was arrested early Sunday morning after allegedly driving an ATV through a Taco Bell drive-thru while intoxicated – with five children on board.

The driver, identified as 36-year-old Paintsville Police patrolman James Bradley, was reportedly swerving and ran a red light before being stopped. Officers noted a strong smell of alcohol and Bradley admitted to drinking about two hours earlier. After failing a field sobriety test, he was taken to Paintsville ARH for a blood draw.

Bradley resisted efforts to collect a blood sample, hitting officers with his shoulders and standing on a hospital bed before eventually complying.

He has been charged with DUI, five counts of wanton endangerment, two counts of assaulting a police officer and multiple other offenses. Bradley was booked and released on a $500 surety bond from the Big Sandy Regional Detention Center.

McDOWELL, Ky. (WMDJ) - Deputies with the Floyd County Sheriff's department responded to McDowell ARH late Sunday night after a man arrived claiming he had been shot.

The victim told deputies he had parked overnight on the side of KY Route 122 near Frasure's Creek when, around 11 p.m., two unknown individuals opened his car door, ordered him out and robbed him.

After the robbery, the suspects allowed the man back into his silver Ford Explorer. As they walked behind his vehicle, they fired into the rear window injuring him.

Deputies are investigating and have collected evidence, but they are asking for the public's assistance. Anyone with information regarding this incident is urged to contact the Floyd County Sheriff's office at (606) 886-8965. Anonymous tips can be submitted via the tip line at (606) 949-2020.

PIKEVILLE, Ky. (WMDJ) – A Floyd County man is facing multiple charges after fleeing in his car as it was being repossessed.

Chad Edward Conn, 36, of Beaver, had stopped at the Murphy USA gas station on Cassidy Boulevard when a tow truck arrived to repossess his vehicle. As the truck began hooking it up, Conn allegedly jumped back in, backed off the truck and drove away – damaging the tow truck in the process.

Conn was located a short time later, pushing the car on Thompson Road. He has been charged with DUI, fleeing the scene, wanton endangerment and other charges.

PRESTONSBURG, Ky. (WMDJ) — Floyd County Sheriff’s deputies have arrested a fugitive from Indiana.

While patrolling in Old Allen on Monday evening, deputies pulled over a vehicle for traffic violations. K9 “Bear” alerted deputies to the presence of narcotics.

The driver initially gave a false name but was later identified as 29-year-old Jacob Henson of Clark’s Hill, Indiana. Henson is wanted in Indiana and has multiple outstanding warrants in Kentucky.

Henson now faces several charges and is currently lodged in the Floyd County Detention Center, awaiting extradition to Indiana.

FLOYD COUNTY, Ky. (WMDJ) – A Floyd County man has been charged with attempted murder after he shot a gun at his ex-wife and another person during a car chase on U.S. 23.

The incident happened Saturday near the Pike/Floyd County line when Ronald Ramsey, 46, of Teaberry, fired multiple shots at the vehicle in front of him, striking a man who was driving and Ramsey’s ex-wife.

Ramsey has been charged with attempted murder, first-degree assault, and first-degree wanton endangerment.

He is currently lodged in the Floyd County Detention Center on a $500,000 cash bond.

JOHNSON COUNTY, Ky. (WMDJ) – A Johnson County man has been sentenced to 40 years in prison on possession and production of child sexual abuse pornography.

Jason Ryan Campbell, 46, of Hager Hill, must serve at least 85 percent of his prison sentence.

Authorities discovered videos and photos of child sexual abuse on his cell phone during his arrest in August 2022, including videos of Campbell engaging in sexual conduct with a minor.

FLOYD COUNTY, Ky. (WMDJ) – Big Sandy RECC customers will see a 15-percent increase on their next electric bills despite the utility’s $3.4 million rate hike still awaiting approval from the Kentucky Public Service Commission.

The increase, which averages around $21 more per month for residential customers, is Big Sandy’s first rate adjustment since 2018. The company cites rising costs, a declining population and coal industry’s collapse as reasons for the hike.

After a suspension of the new rates expired on March 31^st, Big Sandy notified the PSC of its intent to move forward with the increased rates for service beginning May 1^st. The PSC approved the implementation plan this week.

PRESTONSBURG, Ky. (WMDJ) – A Floyd County man charged with murder in a fatal shooting in April will have his case sent to a grand jury.

Larry Johnson, 67, of Auxier, appeared in Floyd District Court for a pretrial hearing on Monday. Johnson is accused of shooting Steven Adkins, 48, of Prestonsburg on April 25^th.

According to testimony from Kentucky State Police Detective Logan Hillerman, the incident started as both men were driving, with Adkins motioning Johnson to pass him on the highway. Johnson allegedly left his vehicle to ask Adkins if he had been having a relationship with his wife, which led to the altercation.

According to testimony, Adkins punched Johnson, breaking his glasses, prompting Johnson to reach into the center console of his vehicle to grab a gun and shooting Adkins.

The case has been sent to a grand jury. Johnson is being held in the Floyd County Detention Center on a $5 million cash bond.

JOHNSON COUNTY, Ky. (WMDJ) – The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet will begin an emergency safety project on KY Route 321 in Johnson County following a recent rockfall in April.

Crews will begin work Monday, May 5^th, to stabilize the slope and prevent future rockslides – especially with freeze-thaw conditions expected in colder months.

KY Route 321 will be closed during construction, which is expected to take several weeks. Motorists should plan alternate routes and stay alert near the work zone.