Inez, Ky – Two women were arrested after the sheriff says they were found passed out in a vehicle in the McDonald’s drive-thru in Inez. Martin County Sheriff John Kirk says he pulled into the restaurant around 10:39 Sunday night and saw 54-year-old Patricia Lynn Hill of Lovely slumped behind the wheel with the engine still running. After a sobriety test, Hill was charged with driving under the influence of a substance and not having an operator’s license. Deputies say the passenger, 36-year-old Trista McCoy of Lovely, admitted to taking Gabapentin earlier. She was arrested for public intoxication and on an outstanding Lawrence County bench warrant.

 

Johnson County, Ky – A Johnson County man accused of secretly recording a 15-year-old girl will have to wait longer to face a federal jury.​ Prosecutors say 43-year-old Henry Ritscher of Paintsville installed hidden cameras in his home and admitted recording the teen for about a year-and-a-half for his own sexual gratification.​ He is charged in federal court with producing and possessing child pornography and was scheduled for trial January 12 in Ashland.​ The judge has now canceled that trial date and set a status hearing instead, giving Ritscher until January 9 to reach a plea deal or proceed toward trial.

 

Freeburn, Ky – Kentucky State Police are investigating an attempted murder in the Freeburn community of Pike County.​ Troopers were called Saturday to a home on Chestnut Branch, where they found Nancy Gearles of Freeburn unresponsive near her residence.​ Investigators say she had multiple cuts, bruises and burns on her body, and a portion of her home had recently been on fire.​ Twenty-eight-year-old Angel Hunt of Wharncliff, West Virginia, was arrested and taken to the Pike County Detention Center.​ She is charged with attempted murder, first-degree assault, first-degree strangulation and first-degree arson.

 

Pikeville, Ky – The Pikeville Police Department is asking for the public’s help to identify two individuals connected to an ongoing investigation.​ Surveillance video shows what appears to be an adult man and an adult woman, and investigators say they need to speak with both of them.​ If you recognize either person, you can share what you know through the department’s completely anonymous online tipline at pikevilleky.gov slash tipline.​ To see the photos, visit pikevilleky.gov or the Pikeville Police Department Facebook page.