December 6, 2007

Johnson pleads guilty to endangering child
By James Cook, Times Editor


The mother of a child, who was left unattended outside the Powell County Courthouse back in the sweltering heat of July, has taken a plea deal. Stacey Johnson, 22, of Hardshell in Breathitt County, has decided to accept a deal from the Powell County Attorney’s Office that will have her back on the streets in six months.
Johnson pleaded guilty to the charges of endangering the welfare of a minor and public intoxication last Friday. Johnson was sentenced to 360 days in the Powell County Detention Center, but under the terms of the deal she will only serve 180 days.
Johnson was arrested on July 30 after she left her nine month old daughter in a car seat. The child was left outside the courthouse doors in the mid afternoon heat. Johnson reportedly asked a work release inmate to watch her child, but was told by the inmate she could not. The inmate, Stephanie Miller, said that Johnson said “she needed a pop” but already had one with her.
According to witnesses and police reports, Johnson left her child unattended for a period of 15 to 20 minutes. Powell County Deputy Mike Kelso took the child inside the sheriff’s office, where an ambulance was called because the baby was unresponsive. The baby was taken to Clark Regional Medical Center and was released the same day. The child was taken into protective custody by Social Services and was later turned over to some of Johnson’s family members.
Johnson was found inside the courthouse in what witnesses and police say was a “disoriented state”. She admitted to taking “ten valium and some meth” on that day. Johnson was arrested and charged with wanton endangerment of a minor and public intoxication. She pleaded not guilty at her arraignment on July 31.
Johnson then bonded out on a $5,000 cash bond on Thursday, Aug. 2. Johnson was scheduled to stand trial on Nov. 16, but that was delayed until last Friday.
Johnson has also fun afoul of the law in other counties. She had a traffic citation in Breathitt County dating back to 2002 and in Perry County in 2003. However in 2004, Johnson had six cases opened in the Breathitt court system. One was a felony case, two were misdemeanors and three more traffic violations were reported.
According to Breathitt Circuit Clerk Patsy Williams, Johnson had an active bench warrant for the 2004 felony case when she was bonded out of the Powell County Detention Center. In that case, Johnson failed to appear to answer felony charges for DUI, possession of a controlled substance, no insurance and not wearing a seat belt. “That warrant was issued on July 31 and we have it in our computer and took it to the sheriff’s office the same day. Then our sheriff’s department usually serves the warrants or faxes them to where they need to go,” Williams said in a telephone interview at the time. “The pre-trial officers have access to that; you would have to talk to them about it.”
Starla Chaney, of the Powell County Pre-Trial Services admitted that her office did check for any warrants on Johnson. “I called and checked, but if the warrant is not faxed to us, if we do not have it in hand when they are about to be released, we can’t hold them,” Chaney said in an interview at the time of the incident. “We check with the dispatch and sheriff’s office to see if they have it, but if they don’t then we have to let them go if they are bonded out.” According to the Powell County Sheriff’s Office, no warrants for Johnson from Breathitt County were received before Johnson bonded out.
Under the current deal, Johnson is scheduled to report to the detention center on Dec. 7 by 6 p.m. She will then serve 180 days and can take part in an in-house treatment program during her incarceration. That program is to run concurrent with her sentence. The remaining 180 days will be probated for two years under a conditional release. Johnson must also pay $232 for court cost.
There was no information about the condition or location of Johnson’s child. Under state juvenile laws, that information is not public record.

Christmas comes early for Powell sixth graders
By James Cook, Times Editor

Christmas came a little early for 138 Powell County sixth graders. Last Thursday, at a program to kick off the ConnectKentucky’s No Child Left Offline program held at the Powell County Middle School, the students and parents were awarded refurbished computers. To go along with the computers, each student receiving one will also get a new Lexmark inkjet printers and software provided by CA and Microsoft.
The ConnectKentucky program was recently awarded $300,000 by an Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) grant. The grant money has been used to refurbish nearly 1,000 state surplus computers and distribute them in the ARC region. According to Keith Kappes, Vice President of University Relations at Morehead State University, nearly 300 of the computers came from that school.
Kappes told the crowd of students, parents and educators that the computer age is always increasing. “When the internet first started in the mid 90’s, there were only about one million people who could access it,” he said. “But by the end of 2006 that number is up to 600 million.”
Kappes went on to let the students know that college is not too far off in their future and computers are an important tool. “In less than six years you will hopefully be enrolling in college. These computers can help prepare you for that. You need college and Kentucky needs you so we can be more competitive on the world market,” Kappes said. “Don’t ever let anyone tell you that you can not afford college. With the KEES (Kentucky Education Excellence Scholarship) being available to every Kentucky student who has above average grades. So it’s not that you can not afford college. You can not afford not to go to college. These computers can start your way there.”
Sixth District U.S. Congressman Ben Chandler (D) was also on hand to speak to the crowd. Chandler is on the House Science and Technology Committee also focused on the global impact that computers have on our everyday life. “The global economy affects everyone and we have to prepare to compete on a global level, around the world. To do that we need to get more knowledge,” Chandler said.
“We all have to work together to make sure we have opportunities for our youth in Kentucky,” Chandler told the students. “If we can’t use a computer then we are not able to compete and there will be no opportunities in your future. You are what’s important.”
The distribution of computers to the children will not actually occur until Dec. 20 and 21 at the Powell County Schools Maintenance Building, but the program wanted to make the announcement now. Powell, Estill and Lee counties are the first of 15 counties that will be awarded the computers. In all 350 computers with software programs that are safe for children to use on the internet and printers will be distributed in the three counties.
The No Child Left Offline program brings together public and private partners, such as Lexmark, Microsoft and CA, Inc., to help Kentucky students and their families to join the “Information Age.” It is believed that the program is the “most comprehensive initiative of its kind in the nation” and insures that “thousands of computers will be saved from landfills and used for the benefit of Kentucky families”, according to a press release by Andrew V. McNeill who is Vice President of Program Development for ConnectKentucky. The statement goes on to say that “placing computers in he hands of underprivileged students awards them the opportunity to access educational and research materials they need in order to effectively compete with the rest of the digital natives.”
Tim Cornett, a former Knott County teacher who now works for Microsoft, also spoke to the students. “These computers you are about to receive are a tool. And a tool is only a tool. Your head and the decisions you make will decide where you go in life,” Cornett said. “I work from my home in Frankfort for a company that is based just outside Seattle, Washington, and I work with thousands of school districts around the country. You can touch the world from Powell County with this tool. It’s up to you.”
The computers will help students in researching at home for school assignments and projects. In recent years the Powell County Schools have continued to add to their computer labs at each school, but many students may not have access at home which could affect their scholastic performance. According to some estimates by national surveys like the Pew Internet & American Life Project, state that 94 percent of youths between 12-17 who have internet access at home say they use the internet for school research and 78 percent say they believe it helps them with their school work. IN another survey by the same group, 87 percent of parents of online teens believe that the internet helps students and 93 percent believe it helps students learn new things.

Democrats honor Anderson and Knox
By James Cook, Times Editor

This time of year is full of reflecting on the past year and preparing for the holidays quickly coming around the corner. That was true for the Democrats In Action, who held their Christmas dinner last Thursday night. The Brookside Community Center in Stanton was filled with nearly 80 guests, as the Democrats enjoyed a good dinner and fellowship, then took time to honor two of their own.
After completing a full course dinner of ham and turkey, with just about every imaginable side dish, all prepared by the group, the meeting took on a more somber tone. The late Floyd Clay Anderson and the late Elroy Knox were remembered for all the work they did not only for the party, but for the community as well. State Representative Richard Henderson spoke on behalf of Knox, who passed away July 7, noted that he was touched by the work and honesty of Knox not only in election, but as a family man. “He was truly a great man and he told me that I won’t get rich doing this job, but if I have the passion you’ll do OK,” Henderson recalled. Henderson also recalled Anderson, who passed away on July 6 after a short battle with cancer, “a great man, who did so much for his family and community.” Henderson continued, “Floyd was a Democrat because he cared about the working people.”
Ted Edmonds, State Representative for the 91st House District which covers Breathitt, Lee and Estill counties, also spoke on behalf of Anderson. Edmonds reminisced and recalled some of the things Anderson has done not only for his family and the party, but his work in the community.
The often emotional meeting also had its lighter moments, with funny stories being told about both Knox and Anderson. The meeting also held a mock election for the upcoming primary. According to the results for this meeting, New York Senator Hillary Clinton won with 44 votes. Former South Carolina Senator John Edwards picked up 29 and New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson grabbed two votes. According to Democrat Election Chairman Tony Ball, the group holds a mock election at each meeting.