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The Whitley County School District had seven of its nine schools get blue ratings, which is the highest rating possible, on the 2025-2026 Kentucky Summative Assessment Test. Whitley North Elementary, Whitley East Elementary, Oak Grove Elementary, Boston Elementary, Whitley Central Primary, Whitley Central Intermediate and Whitley County High School all received blue ratings. Whitley North Elementary School ranked sixth and Whitley East Elementary School ranked seventh out of 715 elementary schools in Kentucky. “It’s a team effort. This doesn’t happen without everyone working together and putting kids first,” Superintendent John Siler told the Whitley County Board of Education during its monthly meeting Thursday. “Overall, it is a complete effort by the board...

U.S. District Judge Robert Wier sentenced a local man Wednesday to 15 years in prison for the attempted production of child pornography in Whitley County four years ago. On June 13, 2022, BJ Thomason, 38, attempted to persuade a minor victim to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of that conduct, according to his indictment and a release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Specifically, Thomason, utilized the TextNow messaging service to contact the victim. In a series of conversations, Thomason requested the minor victim send him sexually explicit pictures of the victim, after Thomason sent multiple sexually explicit pictures of himself, the release stated. Thomason...

A Corbin man has been indicted by the Laurel County Grand Jury for escape, but he did not break out of a jail or prison. The grand jury indicted Jesse Orlando Pierce, 58, of Corbin, on charges of second-degree escape and third-degree fleeing or evading police. On Aug. 26, Pierce allegedly escaped from a detention facility he was confined to under the terms of a home incarceration program through Emcon Home Guard. Also, he allegedly failed to stop running from Corbin Police Corp. Chris Brown, according to his indictment. In a separate case Friday, the grand jury indicted Justin Bradley Mullins, 33, of Boone, charging him with fourth offense operating a motor...

The Laurel County Grand Jury has indicted two people for failing to pay their child support for no less than six consecutive months and/or for an arrearage of $1,000 or more, according to indictments. The grand jury issued two separate indictments against Steven Harris, 37, of Hopkinsville, charging him with flagrant non-support in each case. Each indictment deals with a different child. The grand jury also indicted Richard Brian Burns, 49, of London, charging him with flagrant non-support for allegedly failing to pay child support for two children.

The Laurel County Grand Jury indicted five people on drug trafficking charges and seven people on drug possession charges while issuing its monthly report Friday. The grand jury indicted Christina Marie Francis, also known as Christina Marie Newby, 52, of London, Shayne Michael Carl, 36, of Corbin, and Shawn Lee Faulkner, 49, of Corbin, charging them with first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance. They allegedly sold methamphetamine to a Corbin Police Department cooperating witness, according to their indictment. The grand jury also indicted Francis on a second count of first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance. She allegedly sold methamphetamine to a Corbin Police Department cooperating witness, the indictment stated. In addition, the...

A trio of London residents have been indicted by the Laurel County Grand Jury for allegedly being cruel to animals. On Friday, the grand jury indicted Robert Joseph Sasser, 29, Danielle L. Sasser, 30, and Frederick Stephen Scott, 38, charging them with a misdemeanor offense of second-degree cruelty to animals. On March 18, they allegedly intentionally neglected several dogs causing their deaths, according to their indictment. They were originally arrested on Aug. 10 and charged with torture of a dog or cat, which is a felony offense, but the grand jury instead issued an indictment on a misdemeanor charge of second-degree cruelty to animals. According to an arrest warrant in their case, Kentucky...

A Whitley County man has been indicted for failure to comply with sex offender registry requirements. On March 8, James Croley, 60, allegedly failed to report a change of address to the Kentucky State Police Sex Offender Registry as required by law, according to his indictment. On Monday, the Whitley County Grand Jury indicted Croley on the sex offender charge and on a first-degree persistent felony offender charge. Croley has three prior felony convictions in Whitley County in connection with 2008, 2005 and 1995 cases. In an unconnected case, the grand jury handed down indictments against Rex Gray, 38, of Woollum, and Brooklyn Lowe, 26, of Gray, charging them with theft by unlawful...

A total of 11 people have applied to become the next Williamsburg Independent School principal and job interviews will start this week. Principal Ashley Partin recently resigned to take a position with another district. “Being your principal has been a great privilege. I have loved getting to know your children, celebrating their accomplishments, supporting them through challenges, and watching them grow. The smiles, hugs, conversations, and everyday moments we have shared will always be so special to me. Thank you to Mrs. Housekeeper and the WISD Board of Education for giving me this opportunity,” Partin wrote in a post to “Jacket families” on the district’s Facebook page. “Jacket family, thank you for...

A Russell Springs man is facing promoting human trafficking and unlawful transaction with a minor charges after his indictment Monday in Whitley Circuit Court. The Whitley County Grand Jury indicted Baseler Lafrance, 32, charging him with two counts of promoting human trafficking (victim under 18 years old), two counts of third-degree unlawful transaction with a minor and possession of matter portraying a sex performance by a minor over the age of 12 but under 18 years of age. The indictment alleged on Aug. 18, Lafrance allegedly intentionally enticed, solicited and/or attempted to recruit two 17 year olds knowing they would be subject to human trafficking. It also alleged he induced, assisted...

The Whitley County Grand Jury indicted four Whitley County Detention Center inmates Monday in connection with an Oct. 4 escape, the assault of two deputy jailers and the attempted murder of a third deputy jailer. Whitley Circuit Judge Paul Winchester entered not guilty pleas during arraignments Monday afternoon for Charles B. Randle, 42, of Springfield, James Fields, 55, of Williamsburg, Roy W. Cox III, 19, of Erlanger, and Anthony Tucker, 46, of Corbin. Winchester set $500,000 cash bonds for all four defendants and scheduled a Jan. 28 pretrial conference in their case. Randle was the only one of the four suspects to get out of the facility. He was recaptured less than...