Tri-Rivers welcomes Justin Lewis

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Ky. 1917 closed Thursday

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet plans to close a section of Ky. 1917 in eastern Crittenden County on Thursday.

Ky. 1917 will be closed at mile-point 0.15 to allow a cross drain to be replaced.  This is along Ky. 1917 between Wolf Creek Road and the end of state maintenance at the Providence Road intersection.

This closure along Ky. 1917 is expected to be in place between approximately 7:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Thursday.

Thee will be no marked detour. This work is scheduled on a weather permitting basis.

Ky. 855 shut Wednesday

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet plans to close a section of Ky. 855 in southern Crittenden County on Wednesday.

Ky. 855 will be closed at mile-point 1.334 to allow a cross drain to be replaced.  This is along Ky. 855 between Caldwell Springs Road and Main Lake Road.

Ky. 855 is expected to close at approximately 7:30 a.m. It is expected to reopen to traffic around 2 p.m. Wednesday.

There will be no marked detour.

Escapee believed to flee custody in Marion

ESCAPEE: Charles Lance Kelly

UPDATE: Escapee is Caught

The escapee has been taken into custody.

Marion Assistant Police Chief Bobby West said employees and patrons at Five Star Convenience Center had notified authorities that Kelly had been in the store asking about where he might find a motel.

They began looking for the escapee downtown and later saw Kelly near Five Star. An eyewitness told The Press that Kelly had been hiding behind a garbage can at the Farmers Market on Main Street. Police ultimately found Kelly trying to hide in a overgrown, weedy area behind The Crittenden Press at 11:15pm.


ORIGINAL POST
One of the three inmates who was found to be missing during a prisoner transport to Crittenden County Detention Center apparently fled custody in Marion. Authorities had come to believe that all three had left the Prisoner Transport Service of America (PTS) bus at a previous stop in Benton, Ill.

The inmate who apparently fled custody in Marion is Charles Lance Kelly of Michigan. Jailer Robbie Kirk said Kelly is very identifiable. He is a white male with thick brown hair and a beard. He also has a bad left eye and rose tattoo on his left forearm.

Kirk said just before 10 p.m. that the discovery was made after viewing additional surveillance video from the jail.

"It's no doubt it's him," Kirk said of Kelly from the footage.

Initial surveillance viewed by authorities did not show anyone fleeing the bus during the transfer. But the newly-reviewed angle shows Kelly escaping custody between the back of the detention center and the adjacent restricted custody center. The escape took place when the transport bus was parked on West Carlisle Street in front of the jail, not on detention center property, Kirk added.

He apparently had not been booked into Crittenden County Detention Center. The jailer said no one housed at the local lock-up had escaped.

The jailer would not identify what charges Kelly was jailed on, but did say that he is a convicted felon. Kirk said authorities consider all escapees to be potentially dangerous. He urges anyone who thinks they may have seen Kelly to immediately call 911.

"I'd be cautious," he said, urging witnesses to not engage Kelly. "Just report to law enforcement."

Authorities earlier reported they believed all three missing men – two white and one black – fled the custody of PTS at a stop at McDonald's in southern Illinois. Kirk, a former state police officer, said that assumption was made based on the information they had at the time.

The three inmates were first discovered missing around 4:45 p.m. following a head count after five female prisoners were transferred into the jail from the bus without incident. Authorities began to canvass the area, but later believed from early video footage – and information gained through interviews with the remaining inmates on the transport – that no one escaped PTS custody while in Marion.

Marion Assistant Police Chief Bobby West said PTS reported 25 meals were purchased at the McDonald's in Illinois and 25 meals were distributed, indicating all the prisoners on the transport manifest were accounted for at the time. Therefore, it became unclear exactly when the  men escaped.

We will continue to follow this story and update information as it becomes available.

Inmates said to have escaped in Ill.

UPDATED AT 8:15 P.M.

Crittenden County Jailer Robbie Kirk says three  inmates discovered missing during a prisoner transport to the local detention center late this afternoon did not escape in Marion. In fact, Assistant Marion Police Chief Bobby West said the investigation is leading to Illinois.

Three male inmates were found missing from a Prisoner Transport Services of America (PTS) bus around 4:45 p.m. at the jail on West Carlisle Street. A census of prisoners made on the bus after five female prisoners were safely offloaded here for housing revealed three inmates were unaccounted for.

"When they did a head count, they were three short," the jailer said, adding that no inmates booked into Crittenden County Detention Center have escaped.

Kirk added that there no prisoners being sought in Marion or Crittenden County.

The local investigation, including a review of surveillance video from the jail and nearby rescue squad building as well as corroborating interviews with other inmates on the transport, indicates the men were already missing when the bus arrived in Marion. Authorities believe the prisoners, still shackled, escaped at a PTS stop in Benton, Ill.

"As of right now, there is no evidence showing they are here in Marion, Ky.," said West.

West said a McDonald's in Benton was the previous stop for the PTS bus before arriving in Marion. Guards with the transport company purchased lunch orders for 25 prisoners and handed out 25 meals at the restaurant, the officer said, indicating all inmates were accounted for at the time of distribution.

"They were there roughly 15-20 minutes," West said. "There were no stops between Benton and here."

Kirk, a former state police officer, explained the transport bus remains at Crittenden County Detention Center because it is considered part of an active crime scene. And PTS is currently interviewing the remaining 22 inmates, added West.

"They are trying to nail down exactly where they got off," the officer said. "There is nothing to show they are here."

Upon the initial discovery that three inmates were apparently missing, local law enforcement and jail employees began canvassing the immediate area, warning local residents to be wary and lock their doors. But just before 6 p.m., Kirk said there was no longer a full-blown search. He added though, that police continue to patrol and be on the lookout for anything suspicious.

"Local law enforcement has been given names of who is missing and are doing what they should be doing," Kirk said.

Marion Police Chief Ray O'Neal said two of the three escapees are white men and the other is black. All are believed to be handcuffed and shackled.

Any updates to the story will be posted here.

3 escapees loose in Marion

Details are scarce right now, but local law enforcement is looking for three men who escaped today from a transport bus bringing prisoners to the Crittenden County Detention Center.

It is unknown what the three escapees are wearing at this time, but they are believed to be handcuffed and shackled.

Mike Harris, who lives near jail, said he saw a transport bus at the jail and deputies scurrying around in the neighborhood looking for the escapees.

Police are urging everyone in the area to exercise extreme caution. Keep doors locked and remove keys from parked vehicles.

The apparent escape happened about 4:45 p.m.

In addition to conducting a citywide search, authorities are currently reviewing videotape from the jail and elsewhere in Marion to determine which direction the escapees headed.

Country Club Drive down again

The City of Marion will be temporarily closing Country Club Drive again.

It was closed before school started for a major repair. This time the road is being closed while students are on fall break next week.

Work will begin Monday and is expected to last until Sunday, Oct. 15.

The street will be closed to all through traffic as repairs are made to a buckling spot in the pavement. Access to the Crittenden Country Elementary School, Head Start and Quality Day Care will be available by way of Industrial Drive or Chapel Hill Road.

City Administrator Adam Ledford said the street should be re-opened to traffic when students return to class on Monday, Oct. 16.

For further information, contact the Marion City Hall at (270) 965-2266.

Area death

Nelda Elfa Sisco, 79, of Salem died Wednesday. Boyd Funeral Directors and Cremation Services is in charge of arrangements.

Community Christmas registration today, tomorrow

Community Christmas sign-up for eligible Crittenden County residents is today and Friday. 

Individuals wishing to apply for the holiday assistance should stop by the Crittenden County Extension Service Annex on U.S. 60 East between 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

Emmaus Church celebrates 150 years

The history of Emmaus Church will be celebrated Sunday, Oct. 8 during its 150-year anniversary and homecoming celebration.

The first Emmaus church was organized and built in 1867. All records, along with the church history, were destroyed by fire. The first church building was built approximately 25 years after Crittenden County was trimmed away from the original, larger Livingston County in 1842.
According to the church deed, on Oct. 8, 1895, Samuel Howerton purchased land for $10 and donated one acre for a new Emmaus Baptist Church for as long as it was used as a Baptist church.

The trustees appointed at that time were Albert Butler, J.C. Perryman and Andrew Greenlee.
The present church building, located near the banks of Claylick Creek, was built shortly after the land donation in the fall of 1895.

Information has been handed down from former members and today’s 85-year member, Mildred “Peachie” Long.

During the Great Flood of 1937, water covered the present church building, high up on the church windows, Long said. Men in a boat witnessed pews floating inside the church. Men also checked the depth of the water in the building.

Although some later records simply vanished, the following information is from Long’s memory. She’s over 90 years old.

Sunday school rooms were added in the 1950s. The record Sunday school attendance was 157. Later, the tall church ceiling was lowered to its present height. The church building has been modernized at intervals, including the addition of hardwood floors, new pews, aluminum siding, carpeting, running water, central heat and air conditioning, bathrooms and a metal roof.

Some of this information was prepared by Marilyn Long, a lifetime member of the Crittenden County Historical and Genealogical Society.

Circus coming to town

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Area death

Agnes Irene Watson Myers, 77, of Morganfield died Tuesday. Gilbert Funeral Home in Marion is in charge of arrangements.

What's news this week in Crittenden County...

Crittenden County’s representation in the Kentucky Senate has not just been listening to drivers who have let their license lapse since the state stopped sending renewal reminders in the mail – he’s one of them. Last Wednesday, Sen. Dorsey Ridley, D-Henderson, filed legislation to reinstate sending reminders through the mail to alert drivers that their licenses, permits or personal identification cards are about to expire.

For the full story and the following headlines, pick up a copy of this week's issue of The Crittenden Press:

• County Club Drive closing for repairs
• Brock hands off Bookmobile keys
• Board searching for new library director
• Life in Christ takes Kentucky blessing to ravage Texas community
• PACS transportation changes worry seniors
• Gun club donates property
• Ky. 723, Ky. 365 to get new asphalt
• Comer’s staff hosts Marion office hours
• Homecoming royalty crowned
• Local women’s co-op ministry hosting retreat this weekend
• FORGOTTEN PASSAGES: Museum visit offers something for everyone
• McGee appointed to fill Riley’s unexpired term
• Webster teacher arrested for child porn possession
• VAUGHT'S VIEWS: Woman breaks SEC radio barrier
• Water is Life theme of conservation contest
• SPORTS: Rockets make easy homecoming work of Fulton
• SPORTS: Fall sports roundup

Health department encourages screenings

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Peoples Bank breaks ground for new site

The Peoples Bank, headquartered in Marion, will soon expand to a fourth location.

On Sept. 12, bank President and CEO Terry L. Bunnell and its board of directors hosted a groundbreaking ceremony in Glasgow for a new branch there.

“Growth in the Barren County market has been outstanding and our customer base continues to grow,” said Bunnell. “The groundbreaking of the new Glasgow facility is a reality of our plans for the bank and a response to customer needs. The bank’s customer base in our Marion-Crittenden County market and our successes with new banking relationships in our Glasgow-Barren County region are the catalyst for our expansion.”

The new location of The Peoples Bank at 1300 W. Main St. in Glasgow will be a two-story, 6,700-square-foot facility with a three lane drive-through and drive-up ATM. The projected completion date is July 2018.

The Peoples Bank was organized in 1946 in Marion. The bank was acquired by Bunnell and other investors in 2007. In 2008, the Glasgow location opened as a loan production office. The following year, the drive-through branch in Marion opened. In 2010, the Glasgow location was converted into a full-service community bank branch, offering all the products and services of a larger financial institution.

“The Peoples Bank has continued to grow to become an asset to our community as customers continue to search for the one-on-one customer service and flexibility of a locally owned community bank,” said Bunnell.

Tri-Rivers welcomes Lewis

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Farmers Day is Friday

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Homecoming festivities at CCHS

Homecoming festivities were held Friday night before the Rockets beat Fulton City in the annual homecoming Game.

Pictured are London McCord and Russell Vince who served as flower girl and crown bearer for the coronation ceremony.

See more from homecoming in this week's printed issue of The Crittenden Press.

Local couple honored with Sophia Award

Diocese honors Woodalls

Denny and Lynann Woodall of Marion were recently presented the Sophia Award by Bishop Medley at St. Stephen's Cathedral in Owensboro. The award, named after St. Sophia, the mother of Faith, Hope and Charity, was created by the Diocese of Owensboro to recognize those who "embrace and live a life of stewardship, giving of their time and talent." Recipients must be 65 years of age and are nominated based on past outstanding contributions to their Catholic Parish. The winners are those who receive the most nominations. This was the first year both Woodalls were eligible.

Area death

Jerry Wayne McConnell, 80, died Saturday, Sept. 30, 2017 at his home in Umatilla, Fla. He grew up in Marion. J.H. Churchill Funeral Home in Murray is in charge of arrangement.