Freeburn, Ky – A Mingo County, West Virginia woman faced a Pike County judge this week on attempted murder and arson charges in a brutal Freeburn attack. Twenty‑eight‑year‑old Angel Hunt appeared before Judge Eddy Coleman for arraignment in Pike Circuit Court, accused of tying up Nancy Gearles with an extension cord, beating her, burning her feet, and setting fire to Gearles’ home.  ​Commonwealth’s Attorney Bill Slone says a grand jury reduced the arson count to third degree, indicating jurors did not believe the fire was intentionally set.  ​Gearles remains hospitalized with serious injuries, including strangulation, stabbing with glass, and burns.​ Judge Coleman kept Hunt’s bond at one million dollars, with a pretrial conference set for June third at four‑thirty p.m.

 

Hager hill, Ky – A Johnson County man is facing trafficking and DUI charges after deputies say they found him passed out in a pickup blocking a driveway.​ Deputies were called to Ky. 2039 on January sixth, where they woke up 48‑year‑old Jeffrey Blair and took him into custody.​ A citation says marijuana was in plain view, and a search turned up more than an ounce of suspected meth, three bags of marijuana, and cash.​ Blair was taken to Paintsville ARH for testing, then lodged in the Big Sandy Regional Detention Center, charged with DUI, driving on a DUI‑suspended license, trafficking in marijuana, and first‑degree trafficking in meth, second offense.

 

Rowan County, Ky – One person is dead after a crash in Rowan County. Deputies say Morehead 911 got a call around 8:30 Thursday morning about a crash on U.S. 60 West near Pleasant Valley Road. A vehicle went over an embankment, and a 43-year-old man driving was thrown from the vehicle. Rowan County Coroner John Northcutt confirmed the man died at the scene. His name has not yet been released.

 

Hazard, Ky – A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit against the Hazard Police Department, former Chief Darren Williams, and officer Tyler Pigman after the parties reached a settlement. The order, filed January 2, says all claims are dismissed with prejudice and each side will pay its own legal costs. The suit stemmed from the March 2024 arrest of Billy Gavin Fugate, when court documents alleged Williams and Pigman used unjustified force on Fugate and his family inside a home and pointed a taser at Fugate’s face. The terms of the settlement were not disclosed, and Williams was fired as Hazard’s police chief in 2024.