January 2020

KSP Has Perfect Valentine’s Gift: Trooper Teddy Bear

 

FRANKFORT, Ky. (January 30, 2020) — Valentine’s Day is soon approaching and Kentucky State Police hope people will consider buying a Trooper Teddy Bear for their sweetheart. The bears go on sale today and will sell for $14.99 through February 14th. Proceeds from the sale benefit the Trooper Teddy Project, which provides teddy bears to children in traumatic situations such as a car crash, exposure to drugs, or domestic abuse cases which frequently result in the arrest of a parent.

“When KSP is called to a scene, it’s usually a tragic and difficult situation,” said KSP spokesman Sergeant Josh Lawson. “Unfortunately, there are many incidents where children are involved and witness traumatic things. To minimize the situation and help them cope, we provide children with a teddy bear to calm them down during times of crisis.”

Lawson said the program is designed to develop trust between officers and children.

“As a law enforcement officer, it tugs at your heart strings to arrive at a scene and see a child visibly upset and shaken,” adds Lawson. “These children are often innocent victims of parents who may have violated the law, or in the middle of a domestic disturbance or worse.”

Lawson says the ‘Trooper Teddy’ Project recently celebrated its 30-year anniversary and exists through generous contributions.

“Like many agencies, KSP didn’t have the funds in our budget to purchase the bears, but the need remained,” notes Lawson. “The program is completely funded through donations and the sale of bears, with our ‘Valentine’s sale being one of two significant fundraising events of the year.”

For those interested in purchasing a bear or making a tax deductible contribution to the project, citizens can access the KSP website at http://kentuckystatepolice.org/trooper-teddy/

Citizens can also stop by any KSP Post across the state (during the sale) and purchase a bear.

The Trooper Teddy Bear Project came to life in December of 1989 after Kentucky First Lady Martha Wilkinson hosted a Gala fundraiser at Red Mile Racecourse earlier that summer. The black tie event raised the needed funds to purchase 2,000 Trooper Teddy Bears. The first allotment of bears included a personal note on each stuffed animal from First Lady Wilkerson.

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KSP Investigation Leads to Arrest of Trimble County High School Employee

Bedford, KY. (January 30, 2020) – Kentucky State Police makes an arrest following an investigation into a complaint involving a Trimble County High School employee and a student of the school. Kentucky State Police Post 5 Detectives investigated allegations of a school employee engaging in an inappropriate relationship with a student at the school.

Alexandra Lawhorn, 23, of Bedford has been charged with two counts of Tampering with Physical Evidence, and two counts of Unlawful Transaction with a Minor. Lawhorn was an Instructional Assistant at the Trimble County High School at the time of the alleged allegation.

Lawhorn was released on $500 cash bond. The investigation remains ongoing at this time.

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Kentucky State Police Investigates Officer Involved Shooting in Greenup County

GREENUP, KY. (January 29, 2020) – The Kentucky State Police, Ashland Post is investigating an officer involved shooting that occurred in Greenup County just after 1:00 am this morning.

The initial investigation indicates that the Ohio Highway Patrol attempted to pull over a vehicle on US 23 in Sciota County, Ohio for an illegible and obstructed registration plate.  As a result the driver fled the scene, and OHP initiated a pursuit of the vehicle, at which time shots were fired from the fleeing vehicle.

The ongoing investigation indicates that the pursuit crossed into Kentucky on US23, at which time shots were again fired from the vehicle at officers with the Portsmouth Police Department, who were assisting with the pursuit. As a result, Portsmouth PD returned fire, injuring the driver. The pursuit came to an end as a when the Portsmouth PD performed a legal intervention maneuver on US 23, at which time the driver and passenger were taken into custody without further incident.

As a result of the ongoing investigation KSP has learned that the operator, Amanda Ann Cochran, 31 of Ironton, Ohio, had three active warrants through Kentucky and Ohio at the time of the attempted traffic stop. She was airlifted from the scene, and taken to St. Mary’s Medical Center with non-life threatening injuries. The passenger, John Clifton Thomas Knotts, 34 of Pedro, Ohio, is lodged in the Greenup County Detention charged with two counts of Convicted Felon in Possession of a Handgun, possession of a controlled substance 1st degree (Methamphetamine), Trafficking in controlled substance 1st degree (Methamphetamine), Importing heroin, Trafficking in controlled substance (Heroin), Possession of controlled substance 1st degree (Heroin), Trafficking in Marijuana 1st, and Drug Paraphernalia.

This incident remains under investigation by Kentucky State Police Lieutenant Aaron Martin.

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