tmcvoice Archives August 2, 2007

Copper thieves shut down power
By Greg Bird

If your alarm clock failed to go off and your home electronics were flashing 12:00 Monday morning, you weren’t alone.

More than 1,700 households in McCreary County were left without power for nearly two hours early Monday morning after thieves apparently broke into two electric sub stations to steal copper from the transformers.

The first theft occurred in the Jellico Creek area at approximately 10:00 p.m. Sunday night. The thieves gained access into the Cumberland Valley Power substation and cut wires, disrupting electrical service to residents serviced by the station for over two hours.

The second theft occurred a few hours later at the Whitley City Substation located on U.S. 27 across from the McCreary County Water District offices. The substation is owned by Kentucky Utilities, but is leased by South Kentucky RECC.

Steve Conover, a spokesman for SKRECC said RECC dispatchers started receiving multiple reports of outages from Yamacraw, Old Bailey Road, Wolf Creek and Highway 92 starting around 1:50 a.m. Monday morning.
A Whitley City crew was sent to the sub station servicing those areas where they discovered a hole cut into the fence surrounding the transformers and reported severe arcing coming from the transformers inside the substation.

The brazen thieves risked their lives by cutting the ground wires on the fence for the copper then entered the substation.

As the servicemen entered the substation they discovered two circuits were out, effecting more than 850 SKRECC members. In order to fix the damaged circuits, the service crew had to shut down two additional circuits, disrupting power to an additional 856 customers.
After the damage was repaired and the equipment and fences were sufficiently grounded again, the servicemen began restoring power at 3:10 a.m.
According to Conover, the act of cutting the copper ground wires inside the substation caused some serious damage to the electronic equipment, but the damage was repairable.
“It was lucky for us, with all the damage, we got the power back as quickly as we did,” Conover said. “There was no major damage, but the electronics we use to monitor critical data was burned up. As far as the monetary cost, it could have been a lot worse.”
The thieves also did damage to a third substation, located adjacent to the RECC station, owned by KU.
The damages were repaired within hours, but several customers were left without power while the crews worked to restore service.

“We apologize to all the people affected by the outage,” RECC CEO Allen Anderson said. “It was an uncalled for outage created by the theft at the substation.”
“Our concern is that somebody who doesn’t know what they are doing are risking their life to get a few dollars worth of metal.”

Copper theft is increasing across the country due to an increasing demand on the international metals market, driving prices to more than $3.50 a pound in some places.
In addition to stripping wiring from air conditioners and buildings, some thieves are turning toward the high-quality copper found in substations.

Many power companies, such as KU, have begun using a new type of copper wiring. The company started using a copper weld in place of solid copper wire to deter thieves.

More than 24 deaths in the past 12 months have been directly attributed to thieves attempting to strip copper from electric substations and suffering severe burns or being electrocuted.

“People who try to steal copper from power plants and substations must believe they know electricity and they can cut any ground wire to be safe,” Conover said. “But that is a bad misconception. They may have some idea of what they are doing when they try to get at the copper, but they really don’t know electricity. As soon as they cut a wire, they can get hit with an arc and it could kill them immediately.”

Power companies and lawmakers have been working at ways to make it more difficult for thieves to not only steal copper, but sell it as well.

“We are looking at every possible way to keep things like this from happening in the future,” Anderson said. “We encourage the public to help us patrol areas where these thefts can take place. If anyone sees suspicious activities around substations or power lines, they can call their local office, any time day or night. Together we can head off the problem. If we can catch the thieves, we will prosecute.”
Anderson noted that all authorized RECC employees wear clearly identified uniforms and al l their vehicles are identified with RECC logos.

The Whitley City RECC office can be reached at 376-5997 or 1-800-264-5112.
A new law went into effect on July 1 that was intended to make it more difficult for copper thieves to sell their ill-gotten goods. KRS 365.250 requires “Every dealer in junk metals” to keep a register with the names of anyone who sells scrap copper and a full description of the purchase including a detailed listing of the amount and condition of the scrap metal.

The law further states that the scrap dealers are required to send a report containing the information of the transaction to the Sheriff’s Department within 24 hours of the sale.
“Failure to maintain the register or to report to the sheriff and police department as required in subsection 1 of this section shall be prima facie evidence that the person receiving the copper metal, copper wire, or copper cable not registered or reported, received it knowing it to be stolen in violation of KRS 514.110.”

Conover said the law was a good start to help stem the theft.
“This is one of the best things that has happened to deter this,” he said.
McCreary County Sheriff Gus Skinner said he is very aware of the new law and his department has been working with local scrap metal dealers to monitor the flow of scrap metal through the county.

Sheriff Skinner said the local metal merchants have been very cooperative and he will soon have specially designed forms for the merchants to report any copper sales.

The McCreary County Sheriff’s Department and Kentucky State Police are investigating the theft. Anyone with information regarding the identity of the thieves are asked to call (606) 376-2322 or (606) 878-6622.

Jury convicts King and Dalton
By Andrew Powell

The final two people in a five-person puzzle involving the death of a Burnside man were convicted late last week and now face 35-year prison sentences.

After spending four-days in court last week, a seven-woman, five-man jury convicted both Ricky Neal King and Kimberly Dalton on charges of complicity to commit murder and first-degree robbery. The pair, along with King’s brother Rocky King; father, Harold King; and cousin Danny Bryant, were charged in relation to the December 2005 murder of 65-year old Morris King of Burnside.

Morris King had been drinking at a bar in Winfield when he met the five individuals who followed him into McCreary County, pulled him over and took him to a secluded area. At that point they shot and robbed him. Danny Bryant and Rocky and Harold King pled guilty to charges they faced prior to the trial of Dalton and Ricky King, which got underway Wednesday after lawyers spent Tuesday in the jury selection process. Both Bryant and Rocky King took the stand during the course of the trial, lending testimony that potentially helped convict their family member and Dalton.

Additional testimony was offered from patrons at the Wooden Nickel on the night of King’s death, who said the five individuals’ plan to rob King was “the talk of the bar.”
The five left the bar ahead of Morris King and lay in wait as he headed north on U.S. 27. According to Commonwealth’s Attorney Allen Trimble and testimony during the trial, at some point the five individuals got behind King and flashed their headlights prompting King to pull over. Rocky King then persuaded Morris King to let him drive.

Rocky King drove the vehicle to an isolated field near Murray Wilson Cemetery where Morris King pulled a .38 caliber handgun from beneath the passenger seat of his vehicle. Rocky fled the vehicle, but then Danny Bryant and Ricky Neal King encountered Morris King after which Ricky King wrestled the gun away from Morris King and fired a shot at him. According to testimony, Rocky King then took the gun and fired three more times at Morris King. King was struck in the neck, arm and upper chest, but investigators were unsure which of the brothers fired the fatal shot. King’s wallet was then removed from his body, though testimony varied on who actually took the wallet, and the five individuals fled to the King brothers’ mother’s house in Strunk.

The crime scene was discovered by two hunters in the area the next morning. Kentucky State Police Detective Billy Correll then began an investigation which led him to the Wooden Nickel, a patron of the bar, Mark Wilson, and the five suspects.

While Correll began his investigation, Dalton hid the murder weapon in the woods near the state line. The King brothers later retrieved the gun, not trusting Dalton, and dumped it into a creek along Hwy 1470. Rocky King, after his arrest in early 2006, led investigators to the weapon.

Aside from the handgun, physical evidence collected by Correll linked traces of hair, gunshot residue on clothing and broken vehicle glass between King, the crime scene and the five accused of the crime. A black hat linked to Danny Bryant was found in King’s vehicle at the start of the investigation and also helped investigators tie the case together.

Exact details of the crime differed between Rocky King, Danny Bryant and Kimberly Dalton, who maintained she was merely in the wrong place at the wrong time. Dalton took the stand on Thursday and claimed she had no knowledge of what the other four had planned, was in shock when the murder took place and was too scared after that point to run to authorities and report what had happened. A roommate of hers, however, who was also at the bar that night, testified that Dalton had told her while at the bar of the plan “to roll Morris King.”

Dalton’s attorney, Roger Cox, in his closing argument, said the act was based on desperation, deceit and deals on behalf of the four relatives, but had nothing to do with Kim Dalton.

“Four grown men did not need Kimberly Dalton to do what they did,” Cox said to the jury. “She was scared to death and had no idea what was taking place. So, I ask you to find her not guilty.”

Bill Burt, Ricky King’s attorney, said the case boiled down to a statement made by Danny Bryant to investigators on December 22.

“Danny Bryant was asked two questions and gave two simple answers,” Burt said. “Whose idea was it to rob Morris King and he said ‘Rocky and that girl’…and ‘Rick did not pull the trigger.’”

Burt said the conflicting testimony to investigators before and during the course of the trial made it clear that all the parties involved were liars. And if the jury does not know who to believe, he said, finding reasonable doubt in the case and Ricky Neal King not guilty, was the clear choice to make.

Neither, Ricky Neal King, or his father Harold, who previously pled guilty to charges, took the stand during the course of the trial.

Commonwealth’s Attorney Allen Trimble told the jury during his closing that it was a fairly simple case and even though five people were involved, there were three leaders: Kimberly Dalton, Ricky Neal King and Rocky King. He said Danny Bryant and Harold King were involved, but not to the extent the others were. Trimble added the involvement of all five individuals was clear because they stayed together for days after the murder of King.

“They stayed together because they were bound by that crime and their effort to avoid the crime,” Trimble said. “These people on December 15 took it on their own to come up here with Morris King and rob him and kill him for $100. They closed the book on his life,” Trimble said asking the jury to find the defendants guilty based on overwhelming evidence, both scientific and testimonial.

Around 8 p.m. that evening, after an hour and half of deliberations, the jury agreed with Trimble finding Dalton and Ricky King guilty. Morris King’s wife, Caroline watched the entire course of proceedings and erupted into tears when the verdict was read.

Attorneys in the matter agreed on a sentence for the pair of 35 years each, (25 years on complicity to commit murder and 10 years for first-degree robbery) and will return to court on September 26 for final sentencing.

Rocky King has already been sentenced to 25 years after pleading guilty to similar charges for his role in the crime. Danny Bryant and Harold King are both facing a 10 year sentence for their involvement and are awaiting sentencing.

Obituaries

Nellie Marie Bryant

Nellie Marie Bryant, age 70 years, Sparr, Florida formerly of McCreary County, Kentucky died July 24, 2007 at Community East Hospital, Indianapolis, Indiana. Funeral services were held Sunday, July 29, 2007 at McCreary County Funeral Home with Pastor Wade Bass officiating. Burial was in Barren Fork Cemetery.

She was born at Barthell, Kentucky on April 12, 1937 the daughter of the late Jessie and Madie Bowling Pryor. She was a homemaker and member of Life Tabernacle Church.

Her husband, Henry “Dudley” Bryant and her parents precede her in death. Betty Strunk and Donna Bryant are the deceased daughters. The deceased brothers and sisters are, June Pryor; Allan Pryor; Paul Pryor; Gracie Baker; Pearlie May Lovett and Cindy Potter.

Survivors include her children, James Strunk, Whitley City, Kentucky; Danny Leslie Bryant, Pine Knot, Kentucky; Tina Marie Roberts, Somerset, Kentucky; Tammy Grace Hemp, Ocala, Florida; Joseph Paul Bryant; Treva Joyce Ann Bryant; Teresa Ann Turpin and Tracy Lynn Troxell, Indianapolis, Indiana. Mike Bryant, Pine Knot, Kentucky is the surviving stepson. The surviving brothers and sisters are, Arthur Pryor; Barbara Kruger, Indianapolis, Indiana; Lodie Pryor, Noblesville, Indiana and Joyce Ann Stewart, Dunedin, Florida. One surviving Aunt, Nonie Pryor of Pine Knot, Kentucky. Twenty-four grandchildren and eleven great grandchildren survive.

McCreary County Funeral Home entrusted with arrangements.

Ronnie King

Ronnie King, 65 years, Somerset, Kentucky died July 25, 2007. Graveside service was held Thursday, July 26, 2007 at Duncan Cemetery with Bro. Jacob Tucker officiating.

He was born at McCreary County, Kentucky on December 2, 1941 the son of the late Willard and Ella Mae King. He was a truck driver and member of Gospel Light Baptist Church.

His parents precede him in death. Pamela Gail King is the deceased daughter. Ellena King is the deceased sister.

Survivors include his children, Ronnie King, Jr. and wife, Denise; Jimmy King and wife, Tina, Oneida, Tennessee; Kristi King; Karen Brassfield, Somerset, Kentucky; Rhonda King, Lexington, Kentucky; Fay Murphy and husband, Estil, Pine Knot, Kentucky and Elizabeth Johnson and husband, Jerrod, Alabama. The surviving brothers and sisters are, Imogene King, Marshes Siding, Kentucky; Donnie King; Larry King; David King; John Paul King; Barbara King and Phyllis Claxton, Strunk, Kentucky. Ten grandchildren and six great grandchildren survive.

McCreary County Funeral Home entrusted with arrangements.

Raymond Abbott

Raymond Abbott, age 82 years, Pine Knot, Kentucky died July 26, 2007 at Sunrise Manor Nursing Home, Somerset, Kentucky. Funeral service was held Monday, July 30, 2007 at McCreary County Funeral Home with Rev. Lawrence Haynes officiating. Burial was in Rock Springs Cemetery.

He was born at Wayne County, Kentucky on July 6, 1925 the son of the late William Perry and Kizzie Worley Abbott. He was a farmer and member of Cedar Grove Baptist Church.

His parents and his children, Daniel Wade Abbott and Audrey Lee Abbott precede him in death. The deceased brothers and sister are, Cordius Abbott, Delbert Abbott, Eva Jones, and Lola Abbott.

Survivors include his wife, Bonnie Jones Abbott and his children, Dillard Abbott and wife, Wanda; Bradley Abbott; Lina Trosper, Pine Knot, Kentucky; Ladonie Harvey and husband, Charles; Glenna Harris and husband, Maynard, Dunkirk, Indiana; Rhonda Stephens, Somerset, Kentucky; Sharon Myers, Portland, Indiana and Cynthia Boland and husband, David, Deerfield, Wisconsin. Della Roberts, Stearns, Kentucky is the surviving sister. Ten grandchildren and seven great grandchildren survive.

McCreary County Funeral Home entrusted with arrangements.

William G. Moore

William G. Moore, age 67 of Hamilton, Ohio passed away Wednesday July 18, 2007. He was born August 19, 1939 in Pine Knot, Kentucky, the son of the late Howard and Ruby (Cordell) Moore. (Raised in Pine Knot, he was known in his youth as Billy Gene) Bill Married Barbara A. Baird in Cincinnati on June 24,1972. He worked for G.E. He was a member of the Calvary Masonic Lodge #700. Bill enjoyed traveling and was an avid collector. He is survived by his wife Barbara; one step-daughter, Kathy (Steve) Alden; One step-son, Scott (Donna) Davenport; three grandchildren, Ryan and Bryce Davenport and Taylor Alden; one sister, Katherine M. Strunk and one nephew, John C. Marcum.

Funeral services were conducted by Pastor Daryl McCoy at the Webster Funeral Home in Fairfield, Ohio and interment was at Rest Haven Memorial Park in Blue Ash, Ohio.


Thursday, August 2, 2007 • 57 Oaks Lane, Suite 15 • Whitley City, KY

	Copper thieves shut down power By Greg Bird If your alarm clock failed to go off and your home electronics were flashing 12:00 Monday morning, you weren’t alone. More than 1,700 households in McCreary County were left without power for nearly two hours early Monday morning after thieves apparently broke into two electric sub stations to steal copper from the transformers. The first theft occurred in the Jellico Creek area at approximately 10:00 p.m. Sunday night. The thieves gained access into the Cumberland Valley Power substation and cut wires, disrupting electrical service to residents serviced by the station for over two hours. The second theft occurred a few hours later at the Whitley City Substation located on U.S. 27 across from the McCreary County Water District offices. The substation is owned by Kentucky Utilities, but is leased by South Kentucky RECC. Steve Conover, a spokesman for SKRECC said RECC dispatchers started receiving multiple reports of outages from Yamacraw, Old Bailey Road, Wolf Creek and Highway 92 starting around 1:50 a.m. Monday morning. A Whitley City crew was sent to the sub station servicing those areas where they discovered a hole cut into the fence surrounding the transformers and reported severe arcing coming from the transformers inside the substation. The brazen thieves risked their lives by cutting the ground wires on the fence for the copper then entered the substation. As the servicemen entered the substation they discovered two circuits were out, effecting more than 850 SKRECC members. In order to fix the damaged circuits, the service crew had to shut down two additional circuits, disrupting power to an additional 856 customers. After the damage was repaired and the equipment and fences were sufficiently grounded again, the servicemen began restoring power at 3:10 a.m. According to Conover, the act of cutting the copper ground wires inside the substation caused some serious damage to the electronic equipment, but the damage was repairable. “It was lucky for us, with all the damage, we got the power back as quickly as we did,” Conover said. “There was no major damage, but the electronics we use to monitor critical data was burned up. As far as the monetary cost, it could have been a lot worse.” The thieves also did damage to a third substation, located adjacent to the RECC station, owned by KU. The damages were repaired within hours, but several customers were left without power while the crews worked to restore service. “We apologize to all the people affected by the outage,” RECC CEO Allen Anderson said. “It was an uncalled for outage created by the theft at the substation.” “Our concern is that somebody who doesn’t know what they are doing are risking their life to get a few dollars worth of metal.” Copper theft is increasing across the country due to an increasing demand on the international metals market, driving prices to more than $3.50 a pound in some places. In addition to stripping wiring from air conditioners and buildings, some thieves are turning toward the high-quality copper found in substations. Many power companies, such as KU, have begun using a new type of copper wiring. The company started using a copper weld in place of solid copper wire to deter thieves. More than 24 deaths in the past 12 months have been directly attributed to thieves attempting to strip copper from electric substations and suffering severe burns or being electrocuted. “People who try to steal copper from power plants and substations must believe they know electricity and they can cut any ground wire to be safe,” Conover said. “But that is a bad misconception. They may have some idea of what they are doing when they try to get at the copper, but they really don’t know electricity. As soon as they cut a wire, they can get hit with an arc and it could kill them immediately.” Power companies and lawmakers have been working at ways to make it more difficult for thieves to not only steal copper, but sell it as well. “We are looking at every possible way to keep things like this from happening in the future,” Anderson said. “We encourage the public to help us patrol areas where these thefts can take place. If anyone sees suspicious activities around substations or power lines, they can call their local office, any time day or night. Together we can head off the problem. If we can catch the thieves, we will prosecute.” Anderson noted that all authorized RECC employees wear clearly identified uniforms and al l their vehicles are identified with RECC logos. The Whitley City RECC office can be reached at 376-5997 or 1-800-264-5112. A new law went into effect on July 1 that was intended to make it more difficult for copper thieves to sell their ill-gotten goods. KRS 365.250 requires “Every dealer in junk metals” to keep a register with the names of anyone who sells scrap copper and a full description of the purchase including a detailed listing of the amount and condition of the scrap metal. The law further states that the scrap dealers are required to send a report containing the information of the transaction to the Sheriff’s Department within 24 hours of the sale. “Failure to maintain the register or to report to the sheriff and police department as required in subsection 1 of this section shall be prima facie evidence that the person receiving the copper metal, copper wire, or copper cable not registered or reported, received it knowing it to be stolen in violation of KRS 514.110.” Conover said the law was a good start to help stem the theft. “This is one of the best things that has happened to deter this,” he said. McCreary County Sheriff Gus Skinner said he is very aware of the new law and his department has been working with local scrap metal dealers to monitor the flow of scrap metal through the county. Sheriff Skinner said the local metal merchants have been very cooperative and he will soon have specially designed forms for the merchants to report any copper sales. The McCreary County Sheriff’s Department and Kentucky State Police are investigating the theft. Anyone with information regarding the identity of the thieves are asked to call (606) 376-2322 or (606) 878-6622. Jury convicts King and Dalton By Andrew Powell The final two people in a five-person puzzle involving the death of a Burnside man were convicted late last week and now face 35-year prison sentences. After spending four-days in court last week, a seven-woman, five-man jury convicted both Ricky Neal King and Kimberly Dalton on charges of complicity to commit murder and first-degree robbery. The pair, along with King’s brother Rocky King; father, Harold King; and cousin Danny Bryant, were charged in relation to the December 2005 murder of 65-year old Morris King of Burnside. Morris King had been drinking at a bar in Winfield when he met the five individuals who followed him into McCreary County, pulled him over and took him to a secluded area. At that point they shot and robbed him. Danny Bryant and Rocky and Harold King pled guilty to charges they faced prior to the trial of Dalton and Ricky King, which got underway Wednesday after lawyers spent Tuesday in the jury selection process. Both Bryant and Rocky King took the stand during the course of the trial, lending testimony that potentially helped convict their family member and Dalton. Additional testimony was offered from patrons at the Wooden Nickel on the night of King’s death, who said the five individuals’ plan to rob King was “the talk of the bar.” The five left the bar ahead of Morris King and lay in wait as he headed north on U.S. 27. According to Commonwealth’s Attorney Allen Trimble and testimony during the trial, at some point the five individuals got behind King and flashed their headlights prompting King to pull over. Rocky King then persuaded Morris King to let him drive. Rocky King drove the vehicle to an isolated field near Murray Wilson Cemetery where Morris King pulled a .38 caliber handgun from beneath the passenger seat of his vehicle. Rocky fled the vehicle, but then Danny Bryant and Ricky Neal King encountered Morris King after which Ricky King wrestled the gun away from Morris King and fired a shot at him. According to testimony, Rocky King then took the gun and fired three more times at Morris King. King was struck in the neck, arm and upper chest, but investigators were unsure which of the brothers fired the fatal shot. King’s wallet was then removed from his body, though testimony varied on who actually took the wallet, and the five individuals fled to the King brothers’ mother’s house in Strunk. The crime scene was discovered by two hunters in the area the next morning. Kentucky State Police Detective Billy Correll then began an investigation which led him to the Wooden Nickel, a patron of the bar, Mark Wilson, and the five suspects. While Correll began his investigation, Dalton hid the murder weapon in the woods near the state line. The King brothers later retrieved the gun, not trusting Dalton, and dumped it into a creek along Hwy 1470. Rocky King, after his arrest in early 2006, led investigators to the weapon. Aside from the handgun, physical evidence collected by Correll linked traces of hair, gunshot residue on clothing and broken vehicle glass between King, the crime scene and the five accused of the crime. A black hat linked to Danny Bryant was found in King’s vehicle at the start of the investigation and also helped investigators tie the case together. Exact details of the crime differed between Rocky King, Danny Bryant and Kimberly Dalton, who maintained she was merely in the wrong place at the wrong time. Dalton took the stand on Thursday and claimed she had no knowledge of what the other four had planned, was in shock when the murder took place and was too scared after that point to run to authorities and report what had happened. A roommate of hers, however, who was also at the bar that night, testified that Dalton had told her while at the bar of the plan “to roll Morris King.” Dalton’s attorney, Roger Cox, in his closing argument, said the act was based on desperation, deceit and deals on behalf of the four relatives, but had nothing to do with Kim Dalton. “Four grown men did not need Kimberly Dalton to do what they did,” Cox said to the jury. “She was scared to death and had no idea what was taking place. So, I ask you to find her not guilty.” Bill Burt, Ricky King’s attorney, said the case boiled down to a statement made by Danny Bryant to investigators on December 22. “Danny Bryant was asked two questions and gave two simple answers,” Burt said. “Whose idea was it to rob Morris King and he said ‘Rocky and that girl’…and ‘Rick did not pull the trigger.’” Burt said the conflicting testimony to investigators before and during the course of the trial made it clear that all the parties involved were liars. And if the jury does not know who to believe, he said, finding reasonable doubt in the case and Ricky Neal King not guilty, was the clear choice to make. Neither, Ricky Neal King, or his father Harold, who previously pled guilty to charges, took the stand during the course of the trial. Commonwealth’s Attorney Allen Trimble told the jury during his closing that it was a fairly simple case and even though five people were involved, there were three leaders: Kimberly Dalton, Ricky Neal King and Rocky King. He said Danny Bryant and Harold King were involved, but not to the extent the others were. Trimble added the involvement of all five individuals was clear because they stayed together for days after the murder of King. “They stayed together because they were bound by that crime and their effort to avoid the crime,” Trimble said. “These people on December 15 took it on their own to come up here with Morris King and rob him and kill him for $100. They closed the book on his life,” Trimble said asking the jury to find the defendants guilty based on overwhelming evidence, both scientific and testimonial. Around 8 p.m. that evening, after an hour and half of deliberations, the jury agreed with Trimble finding Dalton and Ricky King guilty. Morris King’s wife, Caroline watched the entire course of proceedings and erupted into tears when the verdict was read. Attorneys in the matter agreed on a sentence for the pair of 35 years each, (25 years on complicity to commit murder and 10 years for first-degree robbery) and will return to court on September 26 for final sentencing. Rocky King has already been sentenced to 25 years after pleading guilty to similar charges for his role in the crime. Danny Bryant and Harold King are both facing a 10 year sentence for their involvement and are awaiting sentencing. Obituaries Nellie Marie Bryant Nellie Marie Bryant, age 70 years, Sparr, Florida formerly of McCreary County, Kentucky died July 24, 2007 at Community East Hospital, Indianapolis, Indiana. Funeral services were held Sunday, July 29, 2007 at McCreary County Funeral Home with Pastor Wade Bass officiating. Burial was in Barren Fork Cemetery. She was born at Barthell, Kentucky on April 12, 1937 the daughter of the late Jessie and Madie Bowling Pryor. She was a homemaker and member of Life Tabernacle Church. Her husband, Henry “Dudley” Bryant and her parents precede her in death. Betty Strunk and Donna Bryant are the deceased daughters. The deceased brothers and sisters are, June Pryor; Allan Pryor; Paul Pryor; Gracie Baker; Pearlie May Lovett and Cindy Potter. Survivors include her children, James Strunk, Whitley City, Kentucky; Danny Leslie Bryant, Pine Knot, Kentucky; Tina Marie Roberts, Somerset, Kentucky; Tammy Grace Hemp, Ocala, Florida; Joseph Paul Bryant; Treva Joyce Ann Bryant; Teresa Ann Turpin and Tracy Lynn Troxell, Indianapolis, Indiana. Mike Bryant, Pine Knot, Kentucky is the surviving stepson. The surviving brothers and sisters are, Arthur Pryor; Barbara Kruger, Indianapolis, Indiana; Lodie Pryor, Noblesville, Indiana and Joyce Ann Stewart, Dunedin, Florida. One surviving Aunt, Nonie Pryor of Pine Knot, Kentucky. Twenty-four grandchildren and eleven great grandchildren survive. McCreary County Funeral Home entrusted with arrangements. Ronnie King Ronnie King, 65 years, Somerset, Kentucky died July 25, 2007. Graveside service was held Thursday, July 26, 2007 at Duncan Cemetery with Bro. Jacob Tucker officiating. He was born at McCreary County, Kentucky on December 2, 1941 the son of the late Willard and Ella Mae King. He was a truck driver and member of Gospel Light Baptist Church. His parents precede him in death. Pamela Gail King is the deceased daughter. Ellena King is the deceased sister. Survivors include his children, Ronnie King, Jr. and wife, Denise; Jimmy King and wife, Tina, Oneida, Tennessee; Kristi King; Karen Brassfield, Somerset, Kentucky; Rhonda King, Lexington, Kentucky; Fay Murphy and husband, Estil, Pine Knot, Kentucky and Elizabeth Johnson and husband, Jerrod, Alabama. The surviving brothers and sisters are, Imogene King, Marshes Siding, Kentucky; Donnie King; Larry King; David King; John Paul King; Barbara King and Phyllis Claxton, Strunk, Kentucky. Ten grandchildren and six great grandchildren survive. McCreary County Funeral Home entrusted with arrangements. Raymond Abbott Raymond Abbott, age 82 years, Pine Knot, Kentucky died July 26, 2007 at Sunrise Manor Nursing Home, Somerset, Kentucky. Funeral service was held Monday, July 30, 2007 at McCreary County Funeral Home with Rev. Lawrence Haynes officiating. Burial was in Rock Springs Cemetery. He was born at Wayne County, Kentucky on July 6, 1925 the son of the late William Perry and Kizzie Worley Abbott. He was a farmer and member of Cedar Grove Baptist Church. His parents and his children, Daniel Wade Abbott and Audrey Lee Abbott precede him in death. The deceased brothers and sister are, Cordius Abbott, Delbert Abbott, Eva Jones, and Lola Abbott. Survivors include his wife, Bonnie Jones Abbott and his children, Dillard Abbott and wife, Wanda; Bradley Abbott; Lina Trosper, Pine Knot, Kentucky; Ladonie Harvey and husband, Charles; Glenna Harris and husband, Maynard, Dunkirk, Indiana; Rhonda Stephens, Somerset, Kentucky; Sharon Myers, Portland, Indiana and Cynthia Boland and husband, David, Deerfield, Wisconsin. Della Roberts, Stearns, Kentucky is the surviving sister. Ten grandchildren and seven great grandchildren survive. McCreary County Funeral Home entrusted with arrangements. William G. Moore William G. Moore, age 67 of Hamilton, Ohio passed away Wednesday July 18, 2007. He was born August 19, 1939 in Pine Knot, Kentucky, the son of the late Howard and Ruby (Cordell) Moore. (Raised in Pine Knot, he was known in his youth as Billy Gene) Bill Married Barbara A. Baird in Cincinnati on June 24,1972. He worked for G.E. He was a member of the Calvary Masonic Lodge #700. Bill enjoyed traveling and was an avid collector. He is survived by his wife Barbara; one step-daughter, Kathy (Steve) Alden; One step-son, Scott (Donna) Davenport; three grandchildren, Ryan and Bryce Davenport and Taylor Alden; one sister, Katherine M. Strunk and one nephew, John C. Marcum. Funeral services were conducted by Pastor Daryl McCoy at the Webster Funeral Home in Fairfield, Ohio and interment was at Rest Haven Memorial Park in Blue Ash, Ohio.

Copper thieves shut down power By Greg Bird