Constable

CRAB ORCHARD — A Lincoln County constable will appear in court next week after he and a woman allegedly sold a car that didn’t belong to them. Kenny Hodge, 55, of 634 Elm St. in Crab Orchard will be arraigned July 8 in Lincoln District Court on a charge of receiving stolen property more than $500, a felony. Hodge currently is seeking his second term as constable from District 2. Amy Jones, 32, of 1144 Pine Grove Road, Crab Orchard, was charged in the same incident, which allegedly occurred June 19. According to court documents, Hodge and Jones sold a 1994 Buick Regal to Julian Baker for junk.

STANFORD — A felony case against a Lincoln County constable was dismissed Monday after the alleged victim declined to prosecute. Kenny Hodge, 55, of 634 Elm St. in Crab Orchard was charged in June with receiving stolen property more than $500 after he allegedly sold a car belonging to Delmar Ray Rucker and pocketed the money. Lincoln District Judge Bill Oliver dismissed that charge Monday at the recommendation of County Attorney Daryl Day. Day said Rucker, who originally signed the warrant leading to Hodge’s arrest, decided he didn’t want to press charges.

A Jessamine County constable has filed a criminal complaint against a sheriff's deputy in Jessamine District Court. In the the complaint, constable Chauncey Tudor, who represents district one, accuses Jessamine sheriff's Sgt. David Mudd of unlawful imprisonment, wanton endangerment and official misconduct. According to the complaint, filed Wednesday morning, “David Mudd attempted and threatened (Tudor) to a physical confrontation.” The complaint also alleges Mudd “made offensive course of utterance” directed at Tudor and restrained the constable from leaving an area by “parking his patrol car in front of me, two other officers and a civilian that were trying to leave.” Tudor claims that when Mudd finally moved his car, the sergeant narrowly missed the constable, thus endangering his life.

For a quarter of a century, Rick Bottom’s name was a household word in Boyle and other counties, especially if your household had teenagers eager to get behind the wheel of a car. “I guess I was pretty well known by generations of teenagers in this county because of the job I had,” says Bottom. That job was as driver’s license examiner, a civilian postion with the Kentucky State Police in which Bottom gave written and practical driving tests to thousands of people over the 25 years.

Dear Editor: As we approach the upcoming May 16 primary election, I would like to encourage support for Mike Mullins for constable in District 1 Precincts 1, 5, & 14 Garrard County. With money tight for county government and the Sheriff's Department already spread thin, the role of constable can be a great support to the Sheriff's Dept., as well as an asset to the community. Mike Mullins has experience and knowledge in the role of constable. He is dependable and thru his work at Garrard County EMS and with the 911 center, has established a rapport with the community.

Two magisterial districts voted for constables Tuesday, with Republicans coming out on top in both races. Republican Michael Foster won in District 2 with 977 votes, while his opponent, Democrat Brad Taylor earned 681 votes. James David Lewis came out ahead in District 3 with 1,427 votes. Democrat Donald Hurt, who is in the Jessamine County Detention Center on charges of first-degree rape, earned 524 votes.

LIBERTY - Casey County Fiscal Court accepted the resignation Tuesday of Freeman Luttrell, constable in the 1st District, who left the job to take a position as deputy with Casey County Sheriff's Department. Luttrell, 34, began his duties Tuesday. He lives on Merritt Ridge Road in Windsor. He was elected constable in 2002 and has been working closely with Casey Sheriff Jerry Coffman and his duties. "He has shown an interest in law enforcement since he became constable and has helped us a lot," said Coffman.

Danny Ray Hunt is making his political debut with his campaign for one of the constable positions in Clark County. Hunt, 62, of 161 Calmes Blvd., filed as a Democrat. The 2010 general election is Hunt's first foray into politics. A native of Bourbon County, Hunt has lived in Clark County for 39 years, according to his candidate questionnaire. Hunt retired in 2005 after 17 years working for Toyota Motor Manufacturing. Since his retirement, he has worked in security, including one year as security supervisor at Bluegrass Station, and for Coradyne Inc. He is a member of North Middletown Christian Church as well as the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Fraternal Order of Police and Civitan Club.

LANCASTER - A constable in Garrard County was arrested Thursday after being charged with abusing his wife. Bradley Smith, 46, of 2674 Rogers Road was arrested about 5:30 p.m. at his home on a fourth-degree assault charge, state police said. He was taken to the Lincoln County Regional Jail and released that night on a bond of $3,000 - 10 percent cash. Smith began his first term as an elected constable for Garrard County on Jan. 1. Trooper Brandon Curlis, the investigating officer, could not be reached for information about the arrest.

FRANKFORT - Counties could abolish their constable offices under a bill that cleared a House panel on Tuesday. The proposal, which state lawmakers have been trying to pass in various forms for years, was approved by the House Committee on Elections, Constitutional Amendments and Intergovernmental Affairs. The bill will now proceed to the full House for consideration. The measure would amend Kentucky's constitution, which established the constable position in 1850. Constables are elected and have the same law enforcement powers as sheriffs.

Jessamine County District 1 constable Chauncey Tudor thought he was simply going to serve a warrant the night of Dec. 20. Instead of serving a warrant, Tudor stumbled upon a Nicholasville man with heroin in a house he wasn't supposed to be in. “I went in to serve a warrant, and I saw the guys through the window,” Tudor said. “It was also a burglary, too. They got charged with second-degree burglary because they wasn't even supposed to be in that house.” The arrest occurred at 202 Laurel Lane, Apartment A, near the Nicholasville post office and Jessamine County Public Library.

CRAB ORCHARD - There's a new push in Kentucky to do away with the elected position of constable or remove its law enforcement capabilities, but Lincoln County law enforcement officials say such a move would have a negative impact on public safety. In a report released through the Department of Criminal Justice Training in October, a working group of law enforcement officials determined the position of constable is “outdated as an arm of law enforcement.” The report was commissioned by Justice and Public Safety Cabinet Secretary J. Michael Brown and examined opinions and statistics about constables in Kentucky.

Constable Chauncey Tudor has hotly disputed the allegations made in former Jessamine County Sheriff Sgt. David Mudd's lawsuit, which was filed last month. Mudd alleges Tudor maliciously filed a criminal complaint about an altercation between the two law-enforcement agents that occurred the night of Oct. 29, 2011. Mudd claims the complaint created a stigma around him that lead to him being ostracized and forced him to seek law-enforcement work outside of Jessamine County. In Tudor's complaint, he alleged that Mudd, then a Jessamine County sheriff's sergeant, “attempted and threatened physical confrontation.” The complaint alleges Mudd “made offensive course of utterance” directed at Tudor and that he restrained the constable from leaving an area by parking his patrol car in front of him, two other officers and a civilian that were trying to leave.

Former Jessamine County Sheriff's Sgt. David Mudd has filed a lawsuit against constable Chauncey Tudor claiming it was Tudor's actions that caused him to no longer serve as a law enforcement officer in the county. Mudd claims it was Tudor's malicious intent and the stigma surrounding the criminal charges from which Mudd was cleared that forced him to find employment several counties away from his home. The case stems from a dispute Oct. 29, 2011, after which Tudor filed a complaint that alleged Mudd, then a sheriff's sergeant, “attempted and threatened physical confrontation” and committed an act that was an “unauthorized exercise of his office duties.” Tudor also claimed his life was “endangered” when he narrowly avoided being struck by Mudd's patrol car that night.

The alleged driver of a truck that struck a Jessamine County constable's home Thursday morning has been arrested. Jason P. Woodward of 1355 Bethany Road was arrested and charged with first-degree criminal mischief, leaving the scene of an accident and operating on a suspended license.   According to a release by the Jessamine County Sherriff's Office, Woodward drove into217 Whispering Brook Drive, the home of constable Bobby G. Wombles, and then fled the scene. The incident was recorded on video by Wombles' home security camera and was instrumental in detailing the make of the vehicle.

Dudley W. Bonds Sr., 75, died Saturday, May 12, at Central Baptist Hospital. Born Feb. 4, 1937, to the late Fountain and Lenora Bonds, he was a native of Jessamine County and was a retired Clark County constable. He is survived by a son, Dudley W. “Buddy” Bonds Jr.; a sister, Jessica Angulo and husband Rafael; niece Erica Aguilar and husband Jorge; two grandchildren, Sandra Land and John Bonds; and three great-grandchildren, Casandra Turner, Gary Wayne Graham and Arthur Dudley Graham.

Two bills before the Kentucky General Assembly aimed at abolishing constables have little chance of succeeding, according to Jessamine legislators. Senate Bill 30 - sponsored by Sen. Julie Denton, R-Louisville - and House Bill 240 - sponsored by Rep. Joni Jenkins, D-Louisville - propose to amend section 99 of the state's constitution to abolish the office of constable. If passed in the General Assembly, it would be put on the ballot for the voters to decide. But state Sen. Tom Buford, R-Nicholasville, said the issue won't make it anywhere near the ballot because the General Assembly is already considering one constitutional amendment this session, and possibly two. “There is already one constitutional amendment on the ballot concerning hunting rights,” Buford said.

A Jessamine County constable has filed a criminal complaint against a sheriff's deputy in Jessamine District Court. In the the complaint, constable Chauncey Tudor, who represents district one, accuses Jessamine sheriff's Sgt. David Mudd of unlawful imprisonment, wanton endangerment and official misconduct. According to the complaint, filed Wednesday morning, “David Mudd attempted and threatened (Tudor) to a physical confrontation.” The complaint also alleges Mudd “made offensive course of utterance” directed at Tudor and restrained the constable from leaving an area by “parking his patrol car in front of me, two other officers and a civilian that were trying to leave.” Tudor claims that when Mudd finally moved his car, the sergeant narrowly missed the constable, thus endangering his life.