June 18, 2009 — A Kentucky State Police Detective testified in open court Thursday that one comment posted on Topix accused Carter County District Judge Rupert Wilhoit of selling drugs out of the justice center.
Kelly Hall, 31, appeared in front of Judge John Cox for an examining trial to determine if enough evidence was discovered to wave the case over to a grand jury.
Cox did find probable cause to have a grand jury investigate Hall and her alleged accomplice, 62-year-old David Justice, in connection to intimidating comments allegedly aimed toward Wilhoit.
During the examining trial, Detective Jim Goble said Commonwealth Attorney David Flatt contacted police about the remarks discovered June 5.
“They were under the heading “Grayson Pain Clinic,” Goble testified. “The comments did sound threatening, and that’s when I contacted our electronic crimes department to have the matter further investigated. The comments appeared as being blackmail. One said, “I have a friend coming in front of you (Wilhoit) in a couple of days.” Then another comment talked about an arson case coming in front of Wilhoit. We have not been able to determine if the comments meant that Judge Wilhoit needed to judge the friend accordingly, or if it was an actual threat of arson.”
Goble said one comment asked if Wilhoit was building a home in the Hitchins area. Wilhoit told police the home was that of a relative and not his.
“He (Wilhoit) became upset and very concerned about the comments,” Goble told the court. “He didn’t know if it was a threat to burn down his house.”
Police then notified Internet and landline provider Windstream to get the ISP (Internet Service Provider) and IP (Internet Protocol) addresses connected to the comments.
When Goble received the email address used along with the comments, he went to interview Hall and Justice at their separate apartments at the Shangri-La, next to Giovanni’s in Grayson.
“Hall said he had just gotten the lap top within the past two weeks and didn’t even know how to enter his name on any Web site, but only used it to look up horses and dogs,” Goble testified. “He told me that Hall had used the computer. We also made sure he didn’t’ have wireless Internet that would allow someone to piggyback off his connection. He didn’t have it.”
During the interview, Hall told Goble she was responsible for typing the comments on Topix.
“She said Justice directed her to do so,” Goble said. “I don’t’ think she knew just how serious this was. She gave me the confession outside the apartment building while in my police curser. She said she didn’t want her daughter to hear.”
Carter County Attorney Bob Miller asked Goble if he had recorded both statements from Hall and Justice. Goble answered, “yes.”
Goble returned to the Shangri-La the next day to interview Hall and Justice for a second time. Both Hall and Justice were then arrested.
During Thursday’s trial, Hall’s attorney Brandon West questioned Goble about the Topix comments.
“Was the statement about the drugs being sold out of the justice center just an intimidation toward the judge?” West asked. “It’s all seems out of the blue to me.”
Goble told West he believe the comment to be, “absurd.” “I can’t speak to their state of mind at the time the comments were posted. Hall did say they had been drinking,” he told West.
According to Cox, Justice was admitted to the hospital following his arrest. His condition was not discussed in court Thursday.
Local News
Topix comments case bound over to grand jury
- Local News
-
-
Olive Hill man dead after KSP standoff
Kenneth Douglas Dyer, 55, was shot and killed Wednesday afternoon in a standoff with Kentucky State Police just hours after his release from jail.
-
Wine label honors Olive Hill
Olive Hill is the latest of 36 Kentucky cities east of Frankfort to be featured on bottles of the award-winning “Kentucky Chambourcin,” a red table wine produced by CCC Trail Vineyard of Rowan County.
The collectors label shows an Olive Hill street scene featuring the historic depot. Like the other city labels, it was painted by Morehead artist Brenda Salyers.
-
Regional jail debate takes shape
The prospect of a regional jail has been a widely discussed topic in Carter County since Judge-executive Charles Wallace first unveiled the initiative in last week's Fiscal Court meeting. The idea was met with much opposition, but Wallace defends the regional jail as a need for the overall health of both the county's roads and its' pocketbook.
-
Community reacts to regional jail authority
The Kentucky Department of Local Government has advised the Carter County Fiscal Court that the first reading of two ordinances passed last week concerning a regional jail authority must be redone. According to DLG Commissioner Tony Wilder, the meeting held last Tuesday was a special meeting because the regular meeting set for May 8 had been cancelled.
-
Grayson Gallery celebrates first anniversary
Memory Days will be a time of great joy and celebration for many citizens of Carter County, but for Dan and Mindy Click, the visionary couple behind the Grayson Gallery and Art Center, this year’s festivities will mean a great deal more. That’s because the Grayson Gallery will be celebrating its one-year anniversary this weekend, a milestone that the Clicks weren’t sure would ever come to fruition.
-
School board approves staff pay raise, wish list for high schools, no consolidation
Monday night was a busy time for the Carter County Board of Education. One of the biggest items addressed was a report from the survey that addressed the question of consolidation of the county’s two high schools.
-
Board makes heavy budget cuts
With funds set to expire from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), the Carter County Board of Education finds itself forced to make tough financial decisions for the upcoming year. Immediate impact can be felt upon first glance at the financial documents. The beginning balance for last year's budget was just over $2.9M, but the upcoming year will only see the county begin with $1.4M in educational funds.
-
Olive Hill City Council discusses water project
Fiinal steps were taken toward beginning the upgrade of the city's water system at Tuesday's meeting of the Olive Hill City Council. The project will be conducted in three phases, with a total bid cost of approximately $500,000. The project will be completely funded by two separate grants from the Kentucky Infrastructure Authority.
-
Smokey Valley Truck Stop back in business
It’s not actually located in Smokey Valley and hasn’t been a real truck stop for years but the Smokey Valley Truck Stop has become a national icon. And much to the relief of its customers who love the home style food in its now famous restaurant, Smokey Valley Truck Stop reopened last Friday after being closed a week.
-
City lawsuits appear in Circuit Court
Lawsuits concerning both Carter County cities appeared in Carter Circuit Court on Monday afternoon. In the case of 4th Leaf LLC vs. the City of Grayson, a motion to intervene was filed by attorney Will Wilhoit on behalf of Johnson and Goebel. Wilhoit argued that his clients own property that will be affected by the outcome of the case.
- More Local News Headlines
-
Olive Hill man dead after KSP standoff
