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A Corbin man was arrested Monday after police say he was caught in the act of taking firearms from a family member’s home in Keavy. Laurel County Sheriff’s deputies arrested 43-year-old Paul Jackson, Jr. on one count of first-degree burglary. Deputy Gilbert Acciardo, the department’s public affairs officer, said deputies were called to the scene on Edgewater Road off of Level Green Road after a female juvenile reportedly discovered Jackson in the living room holding two firearms which he had allegedly taken from a gun cabinet there. “When the female juvenile made contact with the adult male, the adult male left the firearms and left the residence,” Acciardo stated adding that deputies...

The Kentucky Office of Highway Safety (KOHS) recently honored law enforcement officers from 122 agencies across the Commonwealth, including one Corbin police officer, for their efforts to increase the use of seat belts and child restraints in motor vehicles. The Governor’s Occupant Protection Awards ceremony was held on July 12 at the Hyatt Regency in Lexington. Awards were presented to officers with the most occupant protection citations in each agency and division. There are six divisions, broken down by number of officers within the agency, and a division for Kentucky State Police. Laurel County Sheriff’s Deputy Rick Cloyd won the award for Division Three, which includes departments with 26 – 50...

For the second time in four months, a Williamsburg woman, who is charged with murder and other offenses in connection with a July 2016 traffic crash that claimed the life of a Canadatown woman, has lost her bid to get a lower bond. Sonia Askins, 47, is scheduled to stand trial on Sept. 14 on charges of murder, leaving the scene of an accident, operating a motor vehicle while under the influence, tampering with physical evidence, fourth-degree assault and first-degree wanton endangerment. In March Whitley Circuit Judge Dan Ballou raised Askins’ bond to $250,000 cash after a drug screen showed she had opiates in her system. She had been free on...

A local defense attorney arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol in May has pleaded guilty to the charge. Thirty-four-year-old Burley “B.J.” Foley, who had been arrested May 31 following a traffic stop in London, pleaded guilty to one count of operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol/drugs – first offense. In return for the guilty plea, which was entered June 30, Laurel District Court Judge John Chappell ordered Foley to pay $739 in fines and court costs. Foley’s driver’s license was suspended for 30 days. Under the terms of the plea agreement, the suspension was made retroactive to the date of arrest. “From the very onset of the incident,...

A Corbin man indicted in May on a murder charge in connection with a fatal traffic crash in which he was allegedly driving under the influence has been taken into custody. Laurel County Sheriff’s deputies arrested 34-year-old Eric J. Cassidy last Friday at a residence on Watch Road off of U.S. 25E in Knox County. Officials with the sheriff’s department said the U.S. Marshal’s Service received a tip concerning Cassidy’s whereabouts and passed it along to them. Deputies, led by Detective Jason Back and Captain Chuck Johnson responded to the location and took Cassidy into custody without incident. Cassidy was lodged in the Laurel County Correctional Facility where he is being held on...

Repairs are almost complete on the Briar Creek Park Bridge. Flooding in late April and early May damaged the bridge, which has been closed since. Repairs began to the bridge on July 3. “Hopefully, the bridge at Briar Creek Park will be completed and open this week,” Williamsburg Mayor Roddy Harrison told the city council during its monthly meeting Monday. The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet announced Thursday that Williamsburg would receive $25,000 in municipal road aid emergency funds for the repair. “The Bevin administration is committed to the Cabinet’s mission of providing a safe, reliable transportation network for all Kentuckians,” said Transportation Cabinet Secretary Greg Thomas. “These emergency funds will help local governments repair and...

A Barbourville man allegedly led Williamsburg police on a more than 15-mile vehicle pursuit early Monday morning and then fled a short distance on foot before surrendering to Williamsburg police, according to this arrest citations. The incident began when Williamsburg Police Officer David Rowe allegedly observed a gold 1999 Toyota traveling north on US25W speeding and without its rear license plate illuminated. Rowe clocked the vehicle going 48 mph in a 35 mph zone, according to an arrest citation. Rowe pulled out on US25W and activated his emergency equipment near IGA. The vehicle then turned left onto Main Street, then onto South Second Street, left again onto Cumberland Avenue before turning right onto...

If you drive on North 10th Street in Williamsburg, then pay attention. Starting next month, a portion of the street will be closed daily while Williamsburg Independent School is in session. During its monthly meeting Monday, the Williamsburg City Council unanimously voted to close N. 10th Street from Main Street to Sycamore Street from the hours of 7:30 a.m. – 3:15 p.m. whenever school is in session. The closure isn’t permanent and will last until renovation and remodeling work on the school has been completed, which is expected to take at least one year. To accommodate the construction, seven classrooms will be moving to Main Street Baptist Church for the entirety of...

Following last year’s stinging political loses that saw Republicans take control of both the governor’s office and the state house of representatives, Kentucky Democrats are trying to get reorganized and took that message to local party officials in Whitley County Monday evening. During its monthly meeting, the Whitley County Democrat Executive Committee heard from Eric Jarboe, executive director of the New Kentucky Project, a non-profit, non-partisan group, which leans towards the left politically. The New Kentucky Project is an initiative started by Kentucky Sports Radio personality Matt Jones and former Kentucky Auditor Adam Edelen that seeks to move Kentucky forward and modernize the state through a variety of different policy initiatives. “We...

The most important lesson Corbin Schools Superintendent Dave Cox learned in life came from his mother. “Hard work fixes almost anything,” he told a crowd last Thursday during the Seventh Annual Daniel Boone Visionary Award banquet, held at The Corbin Center. The award is given each year to an outstanding citizen in the community who exemplifies the values of the Boy Scouts of America. Cox was presented the award this year. Selected in 2015 to serve as Corbin Schools Superintendent, Cox gave a lot of credit to his predecessor, Ed McNeel, for being a huge influence on his own career. McNeel was the longest serving superintendent in the state when he...