BELFRY, Ky. — A complaint about squatters resulted in two people being arrested on burglary charges.
And one of them was later charged with drug trafficking after being found with meth and fentanyl at the jail.

Police were called to Cow Branch Road at Belfry Wednesday evening over a report of people staying in a vacant home without permission.

There, they encountered Vangie Thacker, 52, on the front porch and could hear a man and woman arguing inside. When they went inside to investigate, the man and woman ran away and couldn’t be located.

Thacker told police she had been staying in the home a few days because she had nowhere else to go and she had been told it was owned by someone in her family. She was arrested on a charge of third-degree burglary.

Police went back to the house early Thursday morning to see if the two people who had fled had returned and found Donique Mitchem, 41, hiding in a closet.

She told police she and her boyfriend had fled earlier because they thought someone was coming to kill them. She also said Thacker had said the home was hers and was letting them stay there. She was also arrested for third-degree burglary as well as fleeing police.

During a search at the jail, she was found with two bags containing an ounce of fentanyl each and another bag containing half an ounce of meth. She was additionally charged with meth and fentanyl trafficking and promoting contraband.

Both women remain in the Pike County Detention Center.

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ROBINSON CREEK, Ky. — A Pike County man has been arrested after police say he was caught in the act trying to steal a refrigerator from a home.

Kentucky State Police was called Sunday afternoon to Collins Highway over a report of a burglary in progress. The property owner told police he saw a man and child entering the house on his security camera, so he went to the location and blocked the driveway to keep them from leaving.

When police spoke to the suspect, identified as Marion Rogers, 52, of Pikeville, he said he and the child were just looking at the house because they were interested in it after seeing it listed for sale.

But the property owner told police he had not listed the property for sale.

Rogers allegedly admitted entering the house, but said he was just looking around and not trying to take anything.

But the property owner produced video footage of the man and child using a hand truck to move a refrigerator. The refrigerator was sticking partially out of the door when police arrived.

As he was being arrested, Rogers again said he was only looking at the house because he was interested in buying it and was attempting to move the refrigerator out of his way. Rogers was arrested and charged with second-degree burglary, possession of burglary tools and unlawful transaction with a minor.

The child was released to the custody of his mother.

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PIPPA PASSES, Ky. — A man was arrested for burglary and other charges after getting stuck inside the walls of a Knott County apartment.

Police were called to Caney Creek Apartments, in Pippa Passes, by a woman who reported that 30-year-old Johnathan Crawford was outside her apartment, threatening her with a table leg and scaring nearby children.

When state troopers arrived, the woman told them that Crawford had climbed into the attic and was refusing to come out. The officers went into the attic, where they discovered Crawford had climbed down between two walls inside the apartment.

A maintenance worker had to be called to remove sheetrock from the apartment’s bathroom so Crawford could be removed from the walls.

Once he was removed, he was arrested on charges of burglary, trespassing and criminal mischief. Police say he has been previously told he is not allowed at the apartment complex, and officers were at the same location the previous day.

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PAINTSVILLE, Ky. — A Johnson County man was arrested early Sunday morning, after a Paintsville resident reported seeing someone breaking into his storage building.

Paintsville Police were called to an address on Pine Street reporting the break-in. The caller reported seeing a man running away with his weedeater, but said he dropped it near Broadway and continued running.

Police found the suspect — later identified as 19-year-old Devin Wells — at a nearby gas station and tried to talk to him, but said he ran away instead. Wells was arrested after a short chase, but that wasn’t the end of the story.

Police say as Wells was being taken to jail, he slipped out of his handcuffs and began kicking on the window to try to break it. The officer pulled over to try to secure him, but said Wells kicked him in the face and struck him several other times in the face and body. He was finally handcuffed again after the officer used pepper spray.

Wells now faces charges of burglary, assaulting an officer, attempted escape, fleeing police and other charges. He is being held in the Big Sandy Regional Detention Center, in Paintsville.

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PIKEVILLE, Ky. — A Pikeville man was arrested after police say he got drunk and then left work to drop in at another nearby business where he allegedly harassed female employees and threw a glass of beer at one employee’s husband.

Jacob Fletcher, 32, of Pikeville, was taken into custody at Pinch Aesthetics by Pikeville Police Department officers just before 6 p.m. Thursday evening.

According to the arrest citation, police were called to Pinch Aesthetics about an intoxicated male inside the business. One of the first statements given to officers was that Fletcher allegedly threw a glass of beer at one of the employee’s husband after he was called to come help them.

Prior to this, the citation adds that Fletcher “was making sexual comments” and “was ‘humping’ the air in front of them,” further stating that Fletcher was allegedly sitting in one employee’s lap.

Police reported that witnesses said Fletcher also told them he worked at Brothers Wright Distillery and had gotten drunk there before coming into the establishment, statements the police later confirmed.

Witnesses told police Fletcher left the business and went home. Police followed up and found him there, where, after a long struggle, they arrested him and took him to the Pike County Detention Center.

Brothers Wright Distillery issued a statement Friday on Fletcher’s arrest saying, “Yesterday, January 22, a former employee of Brothers Wright Distilling Co., Jacob Fletcher, was present at The Distillery in Pikeville as a patron, not an employee. During the time he was on the premises, Mr. Fletcher consumed four beers over the course of approximately six hours. At no point during this visit was he clocked in or acting in any capacity as an employee of Brothers Wright Distilling Co. Following his departure from the premises, Mr. Fletcher was arrested. His actions after leaving our establishment were entirely his own and occurred outside of our control. They do not align with our values as a company, nor do we condone or approve of them in any way. Upon being made aware of the situation, Mr. Fletcher’s employment with Brothers Wright Distilling Co. was immediately terminated. Our company maintains strict policies prohibiting employees from consuming alcohol while working, and we take a proactive and responsible approach to alcohol service for all patrons. Brothers Wright Distilling Co. is committed to building a safe, respectable, and welcoming environment in downtown Pikeville. We take our responsibility to our patrons, our community, and our staff seriously, and we do not believe the actions of one individual should reflect the standards or values of our organization.”

But this was not the Pikeville Police Department’s first run-in with Fletcher. The Pikeville resident was sent to prison following a car accident that killed Amanda Blevins, 32, of Sitka, in 2020.

Fletcher was given shock probation and pleaded to an amended manslaughter charge in August the following year in that case, accepting sentencing for leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death without rendering aid. He served six months and was then released on parole. One charge of tampering with physical evidence was dismissed in the plea agreement.

Fletcher has now been charged with third-degree burglary, first-degree wanton endangerment, harassment, menacing, resisting arrest, and disorderly conduct. He pleaded not guilty to all charges during his arraignment in Pike District Court Friday morning.

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PAINTSVILLE, Ky. — Kentucky State Police say they caught two men unloading items stolen from a storage center and arrested a third man in the case, while the search continues for a fourth.

A trooper was stopped Thursday by a man who showed him videos of men breaking into a storage unit at Action Storage.

Later, while patrolling Eighth Street in Paintsville, the trooper spotted Steven Tyler Rose, 41, of Flat Gap, and William Thomas Tomblin, 50, of Lexington, unloading tools and storage bins full of equipment and taking them inside a residence. The man who reported the break-in was able to identify the items as equipment from his company and sentimental items from his late father.

When asked about the equipment, Rose and Tomblin said two other men had left the items in Tomblin’s vehicle, but they didn’t know why. They also could not explain why they were taking them into the home of Tomblin’s girlfriend.

Police say Rose was wearing a hat identical to the one worn by the man in the video who cut the locks on the storage unit. Police also said neither man claimed to know anything about a bag of meth found on the ground by them.

Rose and Tomblin were both arrested on charges of burglary, theft, receiving stolen property, criminal mischief and meth possession.

The next day, police also arrested one of the other two men Rose and Tomblin claimed had been involved. Terry Burchett, 50, of Stambaugh, was arrested on all of the same charges as Rose and Tomblin, except for meth possession.

The fourth man has still not been arrested.

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PIKEVILLE, Ky. — A Pike County man is facing criminal charges after he remained in an apartment after the resident went to rehab, while also using the man’s car and debit cards.

Pikeville Police were contacted Tuesday by the housing manager of Ridge Cliff Apartments after she noticed a man staying in an apartment, even though she hadn’t seen the resident in over a week. When she went to question the man, he refused to give his name or say where the apartment’s resident was.

When police went to talk to him, he identified himself as David Bauer, 60, of Pikeville. He told police he had been staying in the apartment for weeks and driving the resident’s car.

However, the resident had reported his car as stolen. Police then spoke with the resident’s sponsor, who had been in communication with the resident. He informed police the resident had previously allowed Bauer to drive his car, but he later told Bauer he was not welcome to use the car or his apartment after learning Bauer had taken some things from him.

Police placed Bauer under arrest for second-degree burglary and auto theft. After he was taken into custody, Bauer reportedly admitted to police that he had also used the resident’s debit card, which earned him a charge of fraudulent use of a credit card.

He is being held on a $2,000 cash bond.

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VAN LEAR, Ky. — A Johnson County woman faces burglary and other charges after allegedly breaking into an iconic Johnson County business.

Deputies with the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office were called to Webb’s Grocery, in Van Lear, on Nov. 30, when the owner said he was watching surveillance camera footage of a woman with several dogs inside the store, while an employee was also watching from the parking lot.

Police found the front door padlocked, but a window had been broken to allow the woman to gain access.

Police made their way in through a side door and confronted the women, identified as Aimee Lee Petty, 49, of Butcher Hollow, who told them she was the store owner and had forgotten her keys. The actual owner of the store was still on the phone with police, and told them she was not an owner, but was a family member who they occasionally helped with food and bills.

Deputies then attempted to place Petty under arrest, but required several attempts to handcuff her because they said she tried to punch and kick them each time.

Police found a large suitcase in the store that had been packed with dog food and other items, including a hammer and hatchet police believed were used to break the window. They also found a bag on the counter with other items from the store and a knife.

Petty was charged with burglary, assaulting an officer, criminal mischief and assaulting an officer, but was taken to the hospital for medical clearance. She was booked in the Big Sandy Regional Detention Center on Friday and remains there on a $25,000 cash bond.

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LOUISA, Ky. — A Lawrence County man was arrested Wednesday, after police received separate reports of a theft and a burglary.

Louisa Police were first called to the city garage, where a battery had been stolen from a military truck that had been loaned to Louisa Fire Department. After reviewing security footage from a nearby church, they identified their suspect as Christopher Lee Shannon, 41, of Louisa, and went to his home to question him. When they arrived, they found the battery outside, but Shannon wasn’t home.

Minutes later, they received a report of a burglary around the corner, with the suspect still on the premises. When they got to that location, they found Shannon standing on the front porch holding a window fan, arguing with the resident. He was arrested after a brief struggle.

The resident then told police Shannon had broken into the house and began breaking windows.

Police found the back door had been pried open with a crowbar, two windows had been broken from the inside, and a valve on the water heater had been opened to drain it.

Shannon was arrested on charges of theft of parts from a vehicle, burglary, assaulting an officer and other charges. He is being held in the Big Sandy Regional Detention Center, in Paintsville.

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PIKEVILLE, Ky. — A Pike County man has been arrested for breaking into a house and threatening a woman inside.

Police were first alerted to the incident just before 9 p.m., Sunday, when a distraught and naked man showed up at the back door of the police station screaming for help.

The man told police that Richard May, 38, of Pikeville, had broken into a woman’s house and was threatening her with brass knuckles. The man said he was able to escape from the house to run for help.

When police went to the home, May was not there and they spoke with the woman living at the residence. She told police that May had broken her screen door and picked the lock to get into her house. Once inside, she said he got into an argument with her and the other man, broke a mirror, and threatened to stab her.

Police were able to obtain video from a neighbor, which reportedly allowed them to hear May making threats and damaging property.

May was arrested at his home the next morning. He is charged with burglary, terroristic threatening, criminal mischief and menacing.

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