Pike County, Ky – Kentucky State Police is asking for the public’s help in locating a missing Pike County girl. 15-year-old Star Blair of Millard was last seen on Jan. 1 at Daniels Branch at Millard. She is described as 5 feet 5 inches tall, approximately 120 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. Anyone with information about her whereabouts is urged to contact Kentucky State Police Post 9 in Pikeville at (606) 433-7711. This investigation is being handled by Trooper Cameron Whitaker.
Floyd County, Ky – State Rep. Ashley Tackett Laferty, D‑Martin, says she will not seek re‑election to the Kentucky House. In a Jan. 1 Facebook post, she thanked supporters for backing her through four terms, saying eight years of commuting to Frankfort was driven by her duty to represent Eastern Kentucky while still being there for her three children at home. Lafferty says she will finish her current term.
Powell County, Ky – An Eastern Kentucky man whose fiancé died in a federal drug case is speaking out from jail about the charges against him. Kaylieb Thompson is charged with terroristic threatening after police say he made threatening statements and social media posts toward the Winchester police chief and several officers. His fiancé, Reacheal Dawson, was one of at least two women investigators say died after Brian Epperson allegedly gave them a lethal dose of meth. Thompson says his words were just frustration over what he sees as a lack of justice, and he denies being violent toward anyone. He has been housed in three different jails because he cannot be kept in the same facility as Epperson, and he is scheduled to be in court Monday.
Inez, Ky – What could have been a dangerous crash at Horn’s BP on Route 645 in Inez turned into a meth bust, with Martin County Sheriff John Kirk arresting four people on felony drug charges. Deputies say a vehicle hit the concrete barrier protecting the gas pumps, and several occupants appeared impaired, with one man passed out in the back seat. A search of the vehicle turned up multiple baggies of suspected meth and other drugs, along with syringes and paraphernalia. Sheriff Kirk says the driver, 44-year-old Cecil Diamond of Williamson, West Virginia, and passengers John C. Adkins and Charlotte Marie Godines of Belfry and David L. Williamson of Williamson all face first-degree possession of controlled substance charges.