Inez, Ky – A Martin County man has been charged after deputies say they found several dead dogs behind a home in Inez. Deputies with the Martin County Sheriff’s Office were called Tuesday to a residence on Thickety Fork. There, they say they encountered Phillip Butcher, who allegedly told them the dogs belonged to his ex-girlfriend and that she had left them. According to the arrest citation, Butcher admitted he stopped feeding the dogs “a while ago.” He is charged with second-degree cruelty to animals and was taken to the Big Sandy Regional Detention Center.

 

Whitesburg, Ky – One man is behind bars after police say he threatened to kill a Whitesburg doctor. A complaint warrant was obtained on December 10, leading to the arrest of 26-year-old Richard Devin Wyatt of Whitesburg. Police say Wyatt made repeated threats to kill Dr. Shane McDougal at the ARH Clinic in Whitesburg over several days. Wyatt is charged with third-degree terroristic threatening and was taken to the Letcher County Jail.

 

Debord, Ky – What started as a report of dogs attacking a horse near the industrial park on New Route 3 has exposed a larger crisis in Martin County, where free-roaming horses, aggressive dogs and busy highways are colliding. Sheriff John Kirk says three dogs recently surrounded and attacked a horse near the Debord industrial park, leaving it badly bitten and struggling to walk. He says the county has no way to get vet care or properly manage the feral herd, which has been turned out and multiplying for years. Kirk warns the horses are creating serious traffic hazards on New Route 3 and nearby roads and says it is only a matter of time before someone is seriously hurt or killed if nothing is done.

 

Pikeville, Ky – A Pike County man is facing multiple charges after police say he stayed in another man’s apartment and used his car and debit card without permission. Pikeville Police were called Tuesday by the housing manager at Ridge Cliff Apartments, who reported a man staying in a unit whose resident had been gone for more than a week. Officers say the man identified himself as 60-year-old David Bauer of Pikeville and admitted he had been staying there for weeks and driving the resident’s car, which had been reported stolen. Police say Bauer also admitted using the resident’s debit card. He is charged with second-degree burglary, auto theft and fraudulent use of a credit card, and is being held on a 2,000-dollar cash bond.