February 7, 2008

Arrest made in Slade murder
By James Cook, Times Editor

Kentucky State Police made an arrest in the murder case of a Mount Sterling man who was found on the side of Highway 15 in Slade two weeks ago. Police arrested Rick Lee Puryear of Jeffersonville and charged him with murder.
According to police records, a witness told them that they drove Puryear and Michael A. Flora to Powell County on the night of Saturday, Jan. 19. The witness also said that the two men got out of the car at a place Puryear instructed the driver to stop. After the two men got out of the car, the witness stated they heard several gunshots and Puryear got back into the car. Puryear then told the driver to “drive” and they left the area. (The Times has seen the citation and knows the name of the witness, but will not identify them while state police are still investigating the case.)
On Sunday, Jan. 20, two out of state hikers were driving eastbound on Highway 15, about one mile east of the Slade Exit to get some supplies and return to their camp site. They made the gruesome discovery. The hikers found the body of a white, male lying in the ditch and went back to the Slade Shell Mart to call for help.
After receiving the call at 8:44 a.m. that morning, Powell County Deputies Danny McCormick and Darryl Collins arrived nine minutes later to find Flora dead, lying face up on the heavily traveled, but mostly rural stretch of road. Just a mere fifty yards away from the Mountain Parkway.
Kentucky State Police, the Forest Service Law Enforcement, Fish and Wildlife and members of the Powell County Coroners office were called in to start the investigation. As the deputies and Stanton Police Chief Kevin Neal secured the area, a total of five shell casings were found within a few feet of the body. Three were found in the grass near the body, one was found on the edge of the blacktop and the fifth was found in the middle of the road. According to the first officers on the scene, the casings appeared to have been from a .45 caliber weapon. Flora was pronounced dead at the scene by Powell County Coroner Carl Wells, Jr., who further stated that the body had not been at the location for no more than four to six hours. “He’s been out here overnight, that’s for sure,” Wells said at the time.
Preliminary autopsy reports indicate that Flora died from a “penetrating injury to the head.” There was no mention of how many times Flora had been shot, as police only would say that he had been hit multiple times. Some sources have indicated that he was shot at least three times. The preliminary report does not state how many gunshot wounds there were or the caliber of the weapon that was used.
According to state police and other published reports at the time he was found, Flora 22 of Mount Sterling, had been out with friends in another county. Some of the area’s Fish and Wildlife officers had traveled through the area where the body was found sometime between 8 and 9 p.m. on Saturday night and saw nothing unusual or a body
Puryear has faced several misdemeanor charges in Montgomery County over recent years. Those charges range from terroristic threatening, menacing, DUI and disorderly conduct.
One source with knowledge of the case, reported that Puryear had been charged with unlawful imprisonment in Menifee County in 2006. The source indicated that the charge may have been dismissed. However, attempts by the Times to verify the public records and the disposition went unanswered by Menifee Circuit Clerk Karen Wells-Sorrell’s office. A written request under the Open Records Act, as the clerk’s office requested, has not been answered as of press time.
Puryear also was charged with assault fourth degree in Fayette County back in 1995, but his fines were paid and the case is closed.
Puryear was arrested last Thursday on a warrant for terroristic threatening that was issued in Powell County after he told state police detectives “there would be two bodies” as he threatened to kill a man in Lexington for “killing his friend.” After the arrest on that charge and the witness statement, state police then placed the murder charge and had him transported to the Powell County Detention Center by Powell Sheriff Danny Rogers and Deputy Danny McCormick.
Puryear entered a not guilty plea last Friday in a video arraignment. His bond has been set at $1 million.
Kentucky State Police have not issued any statements as to the motive or if the murder weapon has been found as of press time. “We are still working on these issues and the case will be presented to the grand jury,” Public Information Officer, Trooper Ralph Lockard said in a telephone interview on Monday. The case is still under investigation and was to be presented to the Powell Grand Jury yesterday (Wednesday).

Gov. budget cuts spare schools, but not programs
By James Cook, Times Editor

With the state’s budget woes poised to affect just about all areas of the Commonwealth, state educators at the K-12 levels were sitting on the edge of their seats last week. Governor Steve Beshear made his State of the Commonwealth address last Tuesday and showed his support for education by leaving most of the schools budgets alone. But not all of his plan was received well.
At a special meeting of the Powell School Board the night before the governor’s address, Superintendent Lonnie Morris gave the board members some scary scenarios. “There have been scenarios that some believed would call for a 12 percent cut, but most think if we get one it would be around seven percent,” Morris said. “But any unfunded mandate would be the same as a cut, since we have to fund it anyway.” The board agreed to an updated budget to help cover the budget woes. “Any budget cut, especially a large one, would be devastating to any and all parties in education,” Morris added at the meeting.
But Beshear spared the public schools, to a degree. There will be no big cut to the schools, but teachers will not be getting any raises for the 2008-2010 budget. It will be the first time since 1995 that teachers will not get a mandated raise from the state. It also goes against a commitment by both the Kentucky House and Senate back in 2006 to raise Kentucky teachers’ pay scale to levels comparable to surrounding states. Beshear rationalized that teachers can get step raises through continuing education and moving up on the rank level scale.
“We have about 20 teachers who will be eligible for step raises, but any raises would have to come from our budget, if the state does not fund it,” Morris said. The governor did ask that $115 million be spent over the next two years to help cover the increases in health care costs for school employees.
But even though the schools main funding was left untouched and the Support Education Excellence in Kentucky (SEEK) will be left at $3,822 per student, there are some programs that will face cuts. The governor’s plan calls for a $46 million cut in programs such as the Extended School Services (ESS), money for textbooks, school safety grants and teacher training programs. The ESS helps to provide necessary after school tutoring for students who may othCounty, the school system could lose $21,000 for school safety, $24,000 for textbooks, $23,000 for teachers training and $58,000 for ESS.
“Like I told the board, I’m going to be optimistic,” Morris said in a telephone interview on Monday. “We have worked on a budget based on what KDE sent us and I believe that the House and Senate will improve on the budget when they get it. It could be restored by the legislative bodies.”
But if not then the cuts would affect the schools programs. “The governor kept the SEEK at a flat line, which means there is no improvement, but we didn’t go back,” Morris said. “But the funding we received last year is what we will get the next year. That budget even includes the 177 instructional days. That’s in the executive budget as well.”
The governor’s proposed budget can be found on the state’s web site at www.lrc.ky.gov. The budged is currently listed under the House Appropriations and Revenue as HB 406.

Child support offers amnesty
By James Cook, Times Editor

In just a week all hearts will turn to Valentine’s Day. The entire week of the romantic holiday will build anticipation as sweethearts plan gifts and dinners for their loved ones. So how fitting it is that from Feb. 11-15, the women of the Powell County Child Support Division will be expressing their “love.”
With approval from both Powell District Judge Kenny Profitt and Powell Circuit Judge Frank Fletcher, the child support division will be offering amnesty for non-custodial parents who have fallen behind on their payments. The division has sent out between 90-100 letters inviting those who owe significant amounts to make a payment and avoid jail time.
“If they will come in and make a significant payment, the judges and Robert (King, the county attorney) will work to either dismiss a warrant of arrest or knock down an indictment warrant to a criminal summons,” child support case worker April Hall said. “We can get the criminal summons set for a court date and warrants of arrests can be dismissed. It’s a chance to make a good payment, set up an agreement to pay and keep it up, and avoid jail time.” But her fellow caseworker Dena Rogers issues a warning, “It’s for a limited time only.”
In the letter, that Rogers issued, the recipients are advised that they have been “selected to participate” in the program. The letter goes on to tell the recipients that they “are expected to make a good faith payment with a check or money order.” If they do then they will be “granted amnesty and any non-support arrest order entered will be cancelled.” But those receiving the letters must show up at the Powell County Division of Child Support at 565 Washington Street in Stanton during the Amnesty Week. The office hours are from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
“Those girls work hard and have done a great job. It’s not an easy job to take care of child support,” Powell County Attorney Robert King said. King oversees the division and helps to prosecute any non-support or paternity establishing cases. “They came to me with this idea, I think they saw where another county had done it, but we had to work out the deal with the judges,” King said. “It’s not easy to withdraw an indictment or warrants without judges approvals.”
Under the guidance of director Earline Pickett, who has been with the division since 1991, the Powell County office has steadily became a force in collecting child support obligations. According to Hall the local office collected $1,059,786 during the fiscal year of 2006-2007. “We currently rank 28 in the state for collections and 11 for the paternity establishments,” Hall said. “I all we have 2,203 cases, so we have a lot of work to do and this amnesty program is a good deal.”
Rogers and Pickett agree. In the letter, those who do not take part in the invitation to get amnesty may regret it. The letter states, “After Amnesty Week, the Powell County Child Support Office will begin harsh collection remedies to those that do not respond . . .” According to Hall and Rogers, that will include jail time. “If they show up, make a good faith payment, sign an agreement and keep up their payments, then it is a good deal,” Hall said. “But if they fail to live up to the agreement, then the agreement will have in it that they can and will go to jail. It is totally up to them.”
“We had planned on sending more letters than this out, but before we could, some of them got picked up,” Hall said. “I would think that if you are given a second chance, you would take it.” Besides, the second chance is not just for those who owe. “They can make a difference in their child’s life,” Rogers said and repeated in the letter.
If anyone has a question about the Amnesty Week or about child support issues in general, the telephone number for the division is 663-6424.