PIKEVILLE, Ky. — A Pike County teen racked up a number of felony charges after allegedly leading police on a chase early Tuesday morning.

Just before 2 a.m. Tuesday, a Pikeville Police officer spotted a vehicle matching the description of one from an earlier case turning onto Pike Street. The police report notes that the driver — later identified as Jacob Tyler Wilson, 18, of Pikeville — sped away when spotted the police car, running a stop sign and turning the wrong way down Main Street.

That prompted a chase that was soon over, when the car ran through the Huffman Avenue intersection and hit a concrete pole bordering Pikeville City Park. A Pikeville officer responding to the call slid on the wet roadway by the park and also hit a pole.

Wilson then allegedly led police on a foot case through the park and over the hillside toward Big Sandy Community and Technical College, before disappearing down Cumberland Court. He was found hiding behind a house and arrested.

Police say Wilson was manifestly under the influence and found with marijuana. They also discovered he did not have permission to use the car he had been driving. He also only had an instructional permit instead of a driver’s license.

Wilson was arrested for fleeing police, wanton endangerment of a police officer, auto theft, DUI and other charges. He is being held in the Pike County jail on a $5,000 cash bond.

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Editor’s note: This story has been corrected to indicate the dog is still alive.

JENKINS, Ky. — A Jenkins man has been arrested after his neighbor complained about him shooting a dog in their yard.

Johnny Tinnel, 41, of Jenkins, was arrested during a traffic stop Tuesday night. He is now charged with felony counts of attempted torture of a dog and first-degree wanton endangerment.

Both charges are felonies, with the torture charge punishable by up to five years in prison and the endangerment charge punishable by 5-to-10 years.

The incident quickly garnered public attention after the neighbor posted video on Facebook of the dog crying and running away afterwards. In the post, the neighbor claimed that Tinnel had fired a gun across the fence Monday evening, into the yard where her children play.

The Letcher County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement that Jenkins Police Sgt. Josh Richardson investigated the case and presented video evidence and witness statements to the county attorney’s office, which filed the charges.

Around 7:10 p.m. Tuesday, Sgt. Richardson and sheriff’s deputies pulled Tinnel over on Main Street in Jenkins and arrested him.

Tinnel had also been arrested immediately after the shooting Monday night, on a warrant for failing to appear in court to answer a 2024 misdemeanor charge of harboring a vicious animal. He was later released after posting a $1,000 bond.

He is currently being held in the Letcher County Jail.

Despite earlier reports that the dog had been euthanized, city officials say they have spoken to the dog’s owner and have learned that the dog is still alive, and the owners are hopeful it will recover.

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MAJESTIC, Ky. — A Pike County man is facing multiple counts of wanton endangerment for allegedly pointing a gun at another man while children and other adults were nearby.

Police were called April 14 to a disturbance on Woodman Creek Road at Majestic. When they arrived, a man told them he was using a tractor to remove a carport from his mother’s property, when his nephew, Paul Daniels, 50, of Majestic, came outside cursing at him for stealing the tractor from him, then pointed a gun in his face and threatened to kill him.

The victim told police the tractor actually belonged to another family member and he had permission to use it. He also said the outburst came as a surprise, because he and Daniels had a friend conversation just minutes before.

Multiple witnesses confirmed the victim’s version of events and said that at least four people, including a 2-year-old and a 5-year-old were standing behind the victim when the incident took place, putting them in danger. Several witnesses added that Daniels did not appear to be acting like himself.

When questioned, Daniels said he never wanted to kill anybody and claimed that he held the gun pointing down. He also said he has been having trouble regulating his blood sugar, which sometimes makes him act differently and confused.

Daniels was arrested on one count of first-degree wanton endangerment, four counts of second-degree wanton endangerment and one count of terroristic threatening.

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WILLIAMSPORT, Ky. — A Johnson County woman is facing multiple felony charges after police say she opened fire on two teenagers who were trying to report a forest fire.

The teens were traveling along Route 40 near Williamsport just before midnight on Friday, when they spotted the fire and stopped to call 911 to report it. While on the phone, one of the teens told the dispatcher he thought he heard gunshots.

A neighbor later told police that Misty Dawn Barker, 42, of Van Lear, stood in the road shooting toward the teens, allegedly saying she would “kill the f-ing kids.”

When a state trooper and sheriff’s deputies arrived on the scene, they said Barker refused to drop her weapon at first, until they convinced her through negotiations.

Barker has now been charged with two counts of first-degree wanton endangerment by discharging a firearm, two counts of first-degree wanton endangerment, and terroristic threatening. The charges involving gunfire are the most serious, carrying a potential sentence of 5-to-10 years in prison.

Barker is being held in the Big Sandy Regional Detention Center on a 5-thousand dollar cash bond.

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SALYERSVILLE, Ky. — A Magoffin County man is facing felony charges, after he allegedly fired a gun into a house that contained two people.

The shooting happened on Wednesday along Old Lick Creek. Victims told police that Trenton Jay Caudill, 25, of Salyersville, fired 11 shots from .22 caliber firearm through a closed door. One of the rounds grazed the arm of one of the occupants.

Caudill was arrested Thursday night by the Magoffin County Sheriff’s Office and Kentucky State Police. He is charged with one count of second-degree assault and two counts of first-degree wanton endangerment. The assault charge is the most serious, carrying a potential sentence of 5-to-10 years in prison.

Caudill is being held in the Big Sandy Regional Detention Center in Paintsville on a $25,000 cash bond.

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PIKEVILLE, Ky. — A Pikeville man is in jail after being accused of kidnapping a woman earlier this month.

Pikeville Police say the incident took place Jan. 9, with a call reporting a man was chasing a woman along Scott Avenue. The caller told police the man hit the woman from behind and took a pink backpack from her.
Police responded to the area but couldn’t find anyone.

Less than two hours later, the woman contacted police, saying she was hiding in a gas station bathroom from 38-year-old Richard May. Police responded to the gas station and were told by employees that May had brandished a knife and forced his way into the women’s bathroom, but ran out the back of the store when police arrived.

The woman told police May had chased her and took her backpack earlier that that, but told her she could have it back if she went back to his apartment. She said she went to his apartment, then left.

She said she was later walking along the Don Combs Bridge, when May spotted her and yelled at her. That’s when she ran to the gas station and hid in the bathroom, holding her legs up so he couldn’t see them. However, she said he crawled under the stall and stood over her, taking something from her backpack and then running away.

Police were unable to find May that day, but arrested him on Saturday. He is now charged with kidnapping, wanton endangerment and menacing.

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

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PRESTONSBURG, Ky. — A Prestonsburg man was arrested after police say he tried to drive through an active scene, then threatened and assaulted first responders when he was stopped.

The Prestonsburg Fire Department was called Tuesday afternoon to a car fire at Speedway on North Lake Drive.

While they were dealing with the fire, they say 80-year-old Gary Beverly attempted to drive through the scene. When he was told he couldn’t drive through because it was an emergency scene, the police report alleges he began driving his car toward paramedic Jessica Spradlin and said he would run her over.

About that time, Prestonsburg Police Det. Dennis Hutchinson arrived on the scene and parked behind Beverly. After being briefed on the situation, Hutchinson went to tell to Beverly he needed to leave the area. The police report says Beverly was hostile and refused to leave.

Hutchinson then ordered Beverly out of the car and opened his door, but Beverly grabbed Hutchinson’s shirt and began backing up his car while still holding on to him. Hutchinson began punching Beverly to force him to let go, after which Beverly crashed into Hutchinson’s vehicle.

Beverly was then removed from the car and placed under arrest with help from firefighters. He now faces felony charges of first-degree wanton endangerment of a police officer and third-degree assault of a police officer, along with five lesser charges.

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SIDNEY, Ky. — A Pike County man has been arrested for allegedly holding his girlfriend at gunpoint.

State troopers were called Friday evening to a home at Sidney, after a woman called saying her neighbor contacted her to say she was being held at gunpoint by her boyfriend. When police arrived, the victim told police Kenneth Bolden, 26, of Canada, grabbed her by the arm, hit her in the face, and pointed a gun at her.

When questioned by police, Bolden reportedly admitted pointing a gun at the woman, but said it was unloaded. He also reportedly admitted grabbing her arm but denied hitting her.

Bolden was arrested on a charge of wanton endangerment, fourth-degree assault and menacing. He is scheduled to appear in court for arraignment Dec. 9.

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HAGER HILL, Ky. — A Johnson County man has been arrested on felony charges, after being involved in a wreck while allegedly under the influence.

Police were called to a two-car crash on Route 1428, at Hager Hill. When they arrived on the scene, a woman approached to inform them that her father, Phillip Brent Murray, 48, of West Van Lear, was one of the drivers and had been drinking.

Murray was arrested for DUI after he failed a field sobriety test and then blew a 0.211 on a breathalyzer — more than two-and-a-half times the legal limit.

A witness told police Murray caused the crash by driving on the wrong side of the highway.

The other driver was interviewed while being treated for head and neck injuries at the hospital. He told police he saw Murray coming toward him, so he tried to swerve, but Murray swerved at the same time and their cars collided.

Murray first told police he hadn’t been drinking, then later admitted to drinking two shots. However, police found two empty bottles of Southern Comfort in his car.

Murray was also arrested Aug. 31 on a DUI charge, after police observed him swerving while driving through Paintsville.

In addition to the new DUI charge, Murray also faces two counts of first-degree wanton endangerment, a felony punishable by up to five years in prison. He is being held in the Big Sandy Regional Detention Center in Paintsville on a $5,000 cash bond.

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