Inez, Ky – A Martin County traffic stop led to a major meth bust on Milo Road in Tomahawk. A sheriff’s deputy says a pickup with its back window blocked was seen crossing the center line, and the driver and passenger appeared nervous after being pulled over. A search turned up about seven grams of suspected meth and several pills inside the truck, but deputies say the big discovery was under the hood, where they found another bag holding roughly 78 grams of meth hidden between the radiator and front bumper. Deputies also seized more than twelve hundred dollars in cash and arrested 58‑year‑old Larry Joe Horn Jr. and 35‑year‑old Brandi Moore of Inez on trafficking and other charges.

Floyd County, Ky – An Ohio man has been arrested in Floyd County on a felony charge of sexual extortion. Court documents say 23‑year‑old Nicholas Newsome of Green Springs, Ohio, was picked up on a warrant taken out in October and served on February 12. Troopers allege Newsome threatened to share sexual images of a woman to force her to keep in contact or stay in a relationship with him. Sexual extortion is a Class D felony in Kentucky, carrying a possible sentence of one to five years in prison if he is convicted. Newsome was taken to the Floyd County Detention Center, where his bond was set at two‑thousand dollars.

Leslie County, Ky – Three women are dead and a teenager is in the hospital after a house fire in Leslie County. Kentucky State Police Post 13 says it happened Friday night at a mobile home along Highway 421 in the Hyden community, with troopers calling to the scene just before 11. Fire crews were able to put out the flames, but investigators say they found the remains of three people inside the home, believed to be the residents: 56‑year‑old Lisa Marcum, 50‑year‑old Jadeana Begley, and 84‑year‑old June Nantz, all of Hyden. The Thousandsticks Volunteer Fire Department says a teen was also taken to the hospital after the fire.​​ State police say they do not suspect foul play, and the cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Rowan County, Ky – Rowan County Schools will pay 3 million dollars to settle a sexual abuse lawsuit filed by a former high school athlete identified as Jane Doe.​ The suit says former teacher and coach Andrew Zaheri groomed and sexually abused her from age 14 until she was nearly 18, and that school officials ignored multiple reports. Zaheri is serving 22 years in federal prison for production of child pornography tied to the case.​ The district says it will increase staff training to prevent and report abuse.