Pike County, Ky – A former Shelby Valley High School teacher is in jail on child exploitation charges. Thirty‑five‑year‑old Zackery Ryan Hill of Pikeville was arrested Wednesday at the courthouse after learning of a sealed indictment. He’s charged with two counts of using a computer to procure a minor for unlawful sexual activity, each carrying 10 to 20 years in prison, and one count of tampering with physical evidence. Investigators say Hill contacted two minors for sexual activity in 2023 while working at Shelby Valley. He’s being held in the Pike County Detention Center on a 500‑thousand-dollar cash bond.
Magoffin County, Ky – A broken taillight led to a Floyd County man’s arrest on meth trafficking charges. A Magoffin County sheriff’s deputy stopped a car Tuesday evening on Route 378 at Far Middle Fork and said the driver, 44‑year‑old Jackie Bailey of Harold, appeared nervous and evasive. The deputy got permission to search the vehicle and found a magnetic box under the driver’s seat with about three grams of meth and drug paraphernalia. Bailey was charged with meth trafficking, possession of drug paraphernalia and improper equipment.
Floyd County, Ky – A Johnson County woman is facing multiple drug trafficking charges after a traffic stop in Floyd County. Deputy David Pennington says he pulled over a 2004 Lincoln Navigator at the intersection of Kentucky 1426 and U.S. 23 after the driver failed to use a turn signal. Forty‑six‑year‑old Kimberly Marie Osborne of Tutor Key was behind the wheel. Pennington reports seeing a glass pipe with meth residue, then searching the SUV and finding vacuum‑sealed bags containing suspected meth, marijuana, psilocybin and fentanyl, along with more than eleven‑hundred dollars in cash. Osborne was taken to the Floyd County Detention Center on multiple trafficking and traffic charges.
Salyersville, Ky – A former Herald Whitaker Middle School teacher has admitted to charges tied to inappropriate online contact with a student and will serve prison time. Thirty‑two‑year‑old Jordan Cobb of Salyersville pleaded guilty in Magoffin County Circuit Court to one felony count of procuring the use of a minor by electronic means and one misdemeanor count of harassing communications. Under a plea agreement with the state Attorney General’s office, he received a five‑year sentence with no probation, to run at the same time as his 132‑month federal sentence for attempted online enticement of a minor. Investigators say Cobb used Snapchat in 2023 to send sexual messages and explicit photos to a 14‑year‑old former student, then later sent threatening messages to her on Facebook. He remains in federal custody and is scheduled for formal sentencing in Magoffin County on June 5.