Donnie and Elizabeth Shepherd appeared for a pre-trial conference in Floyd County Circuit Court in Prestonsburg.

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PIKEVILLE, Ky. — A Pike County woman was arrested after police found her young children home alone, hours after she told a neighbor she was going to “go smoke.”

Pikeville Police were called to Northgate Apartments over what was described as a domestic dispute. But when they got to the apartment shortly after 9 p.m., they found only two children, ages 2 and 4.

A neighbor told officers the children’s mother, identified as Morgan Chapman, 23, had asked her to watch them while she stepped out around 5 p.m., but hadn’t returned. Police checked nearby apartments, but couldn’t find her.

A short time later, Chapman came home, saying she had only left the children alone for a few minutes, while she went to a neighbor’s house. The police report notes Chapman had a very strong odor of alcohol about her.

Chapman was arrested and charged with two counts of endangering the welfare of a minor. That charge is a misdemeanor carrying a sentence of up to a year in jail.

The children were taken to the police department while the Division of Protection and Permanency was contacted.

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TUTOR KEY, Ky. — A woman who was shot at in Pikeville over the weekend has now been arrested for her part in the matter.

It all happened on Sunday at a home on Harold’s Branch. Police say Ariana Danielle Cook, 34, of Tutor Key, reportedly had a man drive her and her 3- and 6-year-old children to 24-year-old Kameron Hattaway’s home to allegedly buy marijuana.

While she was there, Cook and Hattaway got into an argument. What happened next is under dispute, as Cook says she grabbed a container of marijuana and fled the home, while Hattaway claims she took money from his wallet.

Both agree that Cook then got back into the car and left, while Hattaway ran after her and fired a gun at the car. Hattaway said he only fired a single shot, but Cook and several witnesses reported hearing as many as three gunshots.

Hattaway was arrested on Sunday and charged with a felony count of wanton endangerment.

Cook was arrested Wednesday afternoon in Johnson County on two misdemeanor counts of endangering the welfare of a minor. She is currently being held in the Big Sandy Regional Detention Center in Paintsville on a $500 cash bond.

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HARDY, Ky. — A Pike County man is facing felony charges because police say he was under the influence when he crashed his car with two young boys in the car.

The crash happened Sunday night on Route 319 at Hardy. When police arrived at the scene, firefighters told them the driver, identified as John Mayhew Jr., 41, of McCarr, required two doses of the overdose medication Narcan to awaken.

They also said there were two boys, ages 9 and 12, who were in the back seat during the time of the crash. The boys told police Mayhew agreed to take them to Walmart to buy a headset, and he was all over the road on the drive back home. One of the boys said he begged Mayhew to stop the car, but he didn’t until he passed out and crashed in a ditch.

Mayhew told police he wasn’t sure what happened, but maintained he had only taken his prescription for Suboxone prior to the wreck. However, he failed a field sobriety test.

Mayhew was arrested for DUI, wanton endangerment, endangering the welfare of a minor and other charges. He is currently being held in the Pike County Detention Center.

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INEZ, Ky. — A Martin County couple was arrested after police were called to their home on a social services complaint.

Deputies were called Friday to a Rockhouse Road home, where James Long, 46, and Patricia Long, 43, live with three minor girls, ranging in age from 4 to 17.

Deputies saw trash littering the outside of the home when they arrived, but then found even more inside the home. The police report notes the home’s floors were impassable with trash, moldy food containers and dog feces, and the house had an odor of animal urine and feces. The home had no water or garbage service, resulting in toilets that were filled with human waste.

The deputies wrote that they were unable to find any food inside the home.

The three girls were placed in protective custody, while James and Patricia Long were arrested on a charge of endangering the welfare of a minor. That charge is a misdemeanor, punishable by up to one year in jail.

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PIKEVILLE, Ky. — A North Carolina woman was arrested Friday night, after police found her stopped in the roadway, apparently under the influence, with two small children in the car.

Pikeville Police received a call around 9 p.m. Friday, reporting the woman for possibly being under the influence and blocking traffic. They found Jamie Wood, 46, of Granite Falls, N.C., sitting in her car, which was parked in front on the Redd, Brown and Williams office on North Mayo Trail, blocking both lanes of traffic.

Police say Wood appeared to be unable to sit still or control her arm movements, and she failed a field sobriety test. The woman told police she thought she was still in North Carolina.

Officers found a couple of unidentified pills inside of an empty cigarette pack in the center console.

In the back seat were two children, ages 7 and 9. The children, who were also from Granite Falls, told police they were supposed to be going to a birthday party with their grandmother, but they had stopped at someone else’s house on the way. They also thought they were still in North Carolina and told police they were hungry because they hadn’t eaten all day.

When the children’s parents were contacted, they said they had been looking for them all day.

Wood was arrested and charged with DUI, endangering the welfare of a minor and possession of an unidentified controlled substance.

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SALYERSVILLE, Ky. — A Magoffin County man was arrested Tuesday night, after he was accused of strangling a baby.

Salyersville Police were called to a home on East Maple Street over a report that 23-year-old Jeremy Garner had pushed a baby’s face into a bed.

When officers spoke to Garner about the accusation, he reportedly told them he was trying to get the baby to be quiet by pushing the baby’s face into the bed and pushing his thumb into the baby’s throat. Police were also given a video showing Garner cupping his hand over the baby’s mouth and pushing its face into the bedding for six seconds, before the video cut off.

The police report notes Garner told officers he didn’t know how to be a parent.

He was arrested and charged with strangulation and endangering the welfare of a minor.

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IVEL, Ky. — A Floyd County couple is accused of neglecting to take their sick child to the doctor, while they stayed in a motel room with heroin.

Deputies were called to the Alpike Motel to check on the welfare of a 4-year-old, who was said to be sick and being neglected by possibly intoxicated parents.

When officers arrived at the room, they first encountered the mother, Megan Ball, 30, who told police they were waiting for a ride to take the child to the doctor. The officer noted Ball appeared unsteady on her feet and she had pinpoint pupils and slurred speech.

They then spoke to the father, Dustin Case, 35, who they described as being unable to sit still with rapid speech and dilated pupils.

Police also found two syringes and a bag that appeared to contain heroin in the room.

Also in the room with Ball and Case were the sick 4-year-old as well as a 7-year-old.

Police contacted social services for the children and arrested Ball and Case on charges of endangering the welfare of a minor and possession of heroin and drug paraphernalia. They are each being held on $25,000 cash bonds.

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TOMAHAWK, Ky. — A Martin County couple has been arrested after police found them living in an unsafe home with young children.

Police were called to conduct a welfare check at the Tomahawk home of Charles Wallace, 58, and Elvie Daniels-Wallace, 38. When the officer arrived, he found that their doublewide home was not fully assembled and also appeared to have recently been on fire.

Inside, there was no ceiling in the home, with roof trusses hanging down with exposed nails and screws, and the roof also appeared to have been on fire. The officer also found open flames and uncovered heat sources inside the home, which had no kitchen or running water. The exterior walls had holes in them with no insulation, and the home’s only toilet was not working and was full of feces.

The couple’s two children, ages 6 and 7, had black dirt on the feet and faces, and the officer learned they had never been enrolled in school. The parents reportedly told the officer they planned to home school the children, but they hadn’t been able to get it set up yet.

The parents were arrested and charged with third-degree child abuse, endangering the welfare of a minor, and unlawful transaction with a minor, all of which are misdemeanors.

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PIKEVILLE, Ky. — A Pike County man is in jail, after police say he held his girlfriend and their 5-month-old son against their will.

The woman’s parents initially went to police on Sunday, saying they were afraid for their daughter and grandson, because Ethan Fields, 23, was holding their daughter against her will and had threatened her with a gun.

Police went to the woman’s apartment on Saad Avenue just in time to see her leaving in a car, but without seeing Fields. Officers searched the apartment but could not find Fields. However, they did find a shotgun behind the child’s crib.

Police later found out that Fields and the child were with the woman, and they found them sitting in their car in a driveway off of Lakeview Drive. The woman told police Fields had spent the past two hours making her drive to several locations, but then refusing to get out of the car and not letting her get out.

She said that he had previously threatened her with a gun and would walk around their apartment carrying a gun. She also said he made her feel like she was not allowed to leave.

Fields was arrested and charged with unlawful imprisonment, wanton endangerment, endangering the welfare of a minor and violating an emergency protective order the woman had obtained in Colorado. He is being held in the Pike County Detention Center.

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