Domestic Violence

Domestic violence education luncheon St. Peter AME Church - noon-3 p.m. Oct. 13, the church will host “Silence Hides Violence,” domestic violence prevention/intervention consulting by Jessica Browning and Susie Bates. Guest speaker will be Diana Ross, mother of the late Amanda Ross.  Luncheon will be served at noon. RSVP by Oct. 10. For more information call Jessica Browning at (502) 773-3393 or (859) 734-5511; or Susie Bates at (859) 353-5329 or (859) 779-9280.

Dear Editor, I am proud that the Winchester and Clark County officials joined First Lady Jane Beshear in promoting Domestic Violence Awareness Month in Kentucky. Domestic violence affects every community across our country. It crosses all races, social and economic backgrounds, cultures, religions and relationship types. Both women and men are victims of domestic violence - although women are more often the victims. Recent statistics show that nearly one-third of all American women report being abused at some time in their lives.  In response to the increasing violence against women, the federal government passed the broad-based Violence Against Women Act in 1994.

A Nicholasville police officer fired a shot while investigating a domestic-violence incident Saturday on Grinder Court. No one was injured. Officer Wesley Casey and Jessamine sheriff's deputy Carl Nickell were searching for Victor Bondarenko when they entered an apartment at 156 Grinder Court. Casey fired his gun at Bondarenko after the 35-year-old grabbed a handgun and pointed it at the officers, according to a news release from the Nicholasville Police Department. The round ricocheted off the kitchen counter and did not hit Bondarenko, who was hiding behind the counter.

STANFORD - A Lincoln County father shot and killed his son in what may have been self-defense during a domestic dispute at a home on Meadowbrook Road north of Stanford. Michael Henson, 42, was shot in the torso late Saturday night during a firefight with his father involving multiple guns, Lincoln County Coroner Farris Marcum said. "There was a lot of gunfire that was exchanged in the house," Marcum said. "There were several guns in the house. " Henson's father, 75-year-old Ray Henson, is being interviewed by state police detectives but no charges had been filed as of this morning.

MYTH: Domestic violence does not affect many Americans. FACT: A woman is beaten every 15 seconds in the United States. Additionally, 63 percent of young men between the ages of 11 and 20 serving time for homicide are doing so for killing their mother's abuser. MYTH: Battering is only a momentary loss of temper. FACT: Battering is the use of violence and other forms of abuse to establish control and power in a relationship. One in five female victims reports having been battered over and over again by the same person.

HARRODSBURG - Though it has been more than three years since Amanda Ross was murdered by her estranged fiance Stephen Nunn, State Rep. Kim King still remembers clearly where she was and how emotionally devastated she felt when she heard the news. King, R-Harrodsburg, was one of about 60 people who attended the “Silence Hides Violence” domestic violence awareness luncheon at St. Peter's AME Church in Harrodsburg on Saturday.  Jessica Browning, a member of St. Peter's AME Church, and Susie Bates, a member of the Kentucky Conference Department of Christian Education , organized the event to help promote October's Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

Mixed with the tragedy of the recent death of 29-year-old Amanda Ross is the exasperation over a system that doesn't always work. Ross was shot and killed in Lexington on the morning of Sept. 11, and police have charged her ex-fiance, former state Rep. Steve Nunn, with murder in her death. The two were embroiled in a domestic violence dispute, and Nunn had been served with a domestic violence order earlier this year that barred him from contact with Ross and prohibited him from having a gun. Nunn was armed with a handgun at the Hart County cemetery where police found him with his wrists slit the same day Ross was found dead, and police later found several guns and ammunition at his home.

Statistics show that one of every four women in the United States are affected by domestic violence. Unfortunately, in Kentucky, the numbers are even worse, with one of every three women in the state affected in some way by domestic violence. The numbers are overwhelming, Kentucky first lady Jane Beshear said during a Domestic Violence Month Awareness rally Thursday at the Clark County Courthouse. “When you think that one out of three women are affected, it's staggering.

Less than a month after Danville native Danielle Thomas' brutal murder in New York City, hundreds of people are honoring her memory through purchasing “Justice for Danielle” bracelets. All proceeds from the bracelets are going to a scholarship fund in Thomas' honor. The scholarship will be awarded to a Boyle County High School Class of 2013 graduate who is interested in music education. If enough money is raised, a scholarship will be awarded annually. Sarah Wilkerson, 27, who now lives in Nashville, first met Thomas in pre-school and last spoke to her less than two weeks before her estranged boyfriend, Jason Bohn, allegedly beat and strangled her to death in their New York City apartment on June 24. Wilkerson said she had no idea Thomas was a victim of ongoing domestic violence.

STANFORD - Tommy Owens was cited once again with domestic violence involving his wife. Owens, 62, of 118 Portman Ave., is charged with fourth-degree assault and harassment. Although Owens did not appear at his arraignment on Monday, his attorney entered a plea of not guilty. A pre-trial conference is scheduled for 9 a.m. April 27. Owens' wife, Katherine Owens, filed a criminal complaint on March 27 alleging that he yelled obscenities at her and kicked the door while she was in the bathroom two days prior.

Though the Bluegrass Domestic Violence Program facility is tucked away in quiet Kentucky country, its presence is powerful for those seeking a safe haven for themselves and their children. The program serves 17 counties within the Bluegrass Area Development District, including Clark County. The 18,000 square-foot facility, which was built around 1995, has served as the BDVP shelter since 2005 and sits at the eastern edge of Fayette County near the Clark County line. It is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week by 22 full-time staff members, three to five interns and three part-time emergency staff.

Patricia Stella moved to Nicholasville about five years ago. Since that time, she has been active with Edgewood Baptist Church with various outreach ministries. But Stella soon discovered that her passion was helping the homeless of Jessamine County. “I started in a discipleship group in our church where I was interacting with homeless people,” Stella said. “Homelessness comes from many places. It comes from teenagers whose parents may have alcohol or drug problems, and out of fear, the teenagers are afraid to go home and sleep in their own house because of mom and dad; so that's one type of homelessness.” While working with the homeless, Stella began a search to see what the community had to offer and quickly realized that the services were limited at best.

Last week Gov. Steve Beshear signed the first bill of the 2013 session which will authorize six of Kentucky's public universities to bond, and assume bonded debt, on specific construction projects at a collective cost of around $363 million. Authorized bonding could not be reflected in tuition increases. University presidents who testified before a House committee said the legislation will help their schools meet student success and retention goals. House Bill 7 will create more than 5,000 construction jobs and almost $400 million in economic development.

Federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement has identified a Hispanic man arrested Saturday in a domestic assault case. After his arrest, Boyle County Sheriff's Department placed the man who called himself Pedro Floras in immigration detainment because he could not be identified. On Tuesday, ICE interviewed the man and identified him as Augusta Floras Mital, an illegal immigrant who has been deported to Mexico five times. Sheriff Marty Elliott said ICE is keeping Floras Mital detained while they conduct a federal investigation.

Paula O. Whitaker stands among her artwork, surveying how it is arranged in the Lockhart Gallery on the second floor of the Community Arts Center. “I like everything all together like this,” she said, then smiled. The title of the exhibit is “The Power of Woman.” Whitaker said it's a compilation that just “kinda happened.” “I was at a point where I wanted my art to mean something,” she explained. “I wanted it to tell a story.” “The Power of Woman” developed during a nine-year period, Whitaker noted.

WAYNESBURG - A man has been charged with a felony count of evading police after a domestic assault case turned into a bizarre standoff situation Monday night. Timothy Combs, 53, of Waynesburg, has been charged with first-degree fleeing or evading police, third-degree terroristic threatening and fourth-degree domestic violence assault. After sheriff's deputies responded to a domestic violence call at Combs' home on Parker Road Monday night, they left with the victim of the assault, Combs' wife, state police spokesman Paul Blanton said.

STANFORD - A Lincoln County father shot and killed his son in what may have been self-defense during a domestic dispute at a home on Meadowbrook Road north of Stanford. Michael Henson, 42, was shot in the torso late Saturday night during a firefight with his father involving multiple guns, Lincoln County Coroner Farris Marcum said. "There was a lot of gunfire that was exchanged in the house," Marcum said. "There were several guns in the house. " Henson's father, 75-year-old Ray Henson, is being interviewed by state police detectives but no charges had been filed as of this morning.

WINCHESTER POLICE DEPARTMENT Charged - James W. Adkins, 33, was charged Friday with operating on suspended/revoked license and possession of marijuana. - John Randell Blanton, 35, was charged Monday with disregarding traffic regulations, second-degree fleeing/evading police on foot, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. -  Jonathan E. Bowman, 19, was charged Saturday with operating a motor vehicle under the influence of drugs/alcohol (first offense) and license to be in possession.

• Robert E. Brock, 1464 Johns Lane, was arrested Dec. 5 at Rebel Road and charged with theft by unlawful taking and buy/possession of drug paraphernalia. • Shelby R. Eblin, 148 Grinder Court, was arrested Dec. 2 at the same address ad charged with fourth-degree assault, domestic violence with minor injury; and third-degree terroristic threatening. • Hollis R. Smith, 234 E. Oak St., was arrested Dec. 2 at the same address and charged with fourth-degree assault, domestic violence with minor injury.

• Richard Matthew Hush, 27, 501 Longview Drive, was arrested Nov. 17 on Longwood Drive and charged with operating a motor vehicle under the influence of drugs or alcohol. • Elizabeth George, 44, 8647 Tates Creek Road, was arrested Nov. 25 at that address and charged with fourth-degree assault, domestic violence with minor injury. • Bravo Santiago, 34, 106 Wildwood Court, Wilmore, was arrested Dec. 1 at the intersection of Jessamine Station and Frankfort Ford Road and charged with DUI and driving on a DUI-suspended license.