Pike County, Ky -A Pike County man and woman face charges, including child endangerment, after state police responded to an assault call on Village Lane at Lick Creek. A woman told troopers that 23‑year‑old Teonna McNutt hit her in the face with a shotgun, cutting her lip, while McNutt claimed she only pushed her away with a BB gun. When officers arrived, 30‑year‑old Kirt Ramey came home to a residence they say was in disarray, with drug paraphernalia, needles, and knives within reach of McNutt’s one‑ and three‑year‑old children. McNutt was jailed for second‑degree assault and endangering the welfare of a minor, and Ramey for endangering the welfare of a minor and a traffic offense.

Pike County, Ky – A Pike County man has pleaded guilty in the shooting death of a Virginia man. Forty‑two‑year‑old Michael Shane Brown, of Feds Creek, admitted to murder in the Jan. 11, 2025, killing of Christopher Lester. Prosecutors are recommending 25 years in prison on counts of capital murder and possession of a handgun by a convicted felon, and a persistent felony offender charge was dropped in a mediated plea. Thirty‑one‑year‑old Anthony Clyde Browning, of Matewan, West Virginia, pleaded guilty to tampering with evidence and is set to get five years after more serious charges were dismissed. A third man, Michael Shortridge, is due to enter a plea April 1. Brown and Browning are scheduled for sentencing April 23.

Martin County, Ky – Crews spent a second straight weekend battling wildfires in Martin County, responding to three new blazes. The first broke out Friday night near Sansom Drive off Big Lick Road, burning about 35 acres. On Sunday, firefighters from Inez, Pigeon Roost, Warfield, and the Division of Forestry fought a wildfire off Fire House Lane and Hode Road in Warfield, estimated at 40 acres but no longer threatening homes or businesses by Sunday night. Later that night, another wildfire on Little Blacklog Road in Inez was also estimated at 40 acres. The new fires followed last weekend’s nine wildfires, which burned 461 acres across the county.

Magoffin County, Ky – A Magoffin County man was arrested Saturday on Dry Bread Road on multiple drug trafficking charges. Deputies say a search warrant at a home there turned up several grams of cocaine, prescription pills, about $1,200 in cash, digital scales and firearms. Fifty‑four‑year‑old Timothy L. Sparks was taken to the Big Sandy Regional Detention Center and later released on bond. He is charged with several counts of first‑degree trafficking in a controlled substance, tampering with physical evidence and possessing drug paraphernalia. The sheriff’s department is again urging residents to report suspected drug activity and says tips can be made anonymously.