Beech Tree News Network

An audit that has lasted over an year and has cost the county over $46,000 recommends that former Sheriff Joe Gaddie transfer $9,604 due the 2010 fee account from the tax accounts, deposit $3,570 in personal funds to cover undeposited receipts and disallowed expenditures, and then pay the additional excess fees of $13,174 to the fiscal court. Auditors have billed the county for 904.5 hours, a total of $46,628.57 for Gaddie's audit. 

The Butler County Fiscal Court met in regular session on Monday night, January 9th. It was the first meeting of the body for calendar year 2012.

Butler County Coroner Gerald "Marty" Jones II
Deputy Coroners Brian McKinney and Terry Hunt

In 2011 there were 50 coroner calls made by the Butler County Coroner's Office and 15 provisional of death reports signed for cremation to be performed.

Of the 65 Calls Made:
32 were ruled as natural deaths
1 ruled homicide
1 ruled suicide
15 provisional of deaths signed for cremation
16 ruled accidental deaths

Three individuals are charged with receiving stolen property from three separate incidents according to Butler County Sheriff Scottie Ward.

Luke Childers, DOB 12-16-83, is charged with Receiving Stolen Property (Under $10,000) after items belonging to Chelsea Lawrence were found in his possession. Childers allegedly had some metal items, a cherry picker lift, and a hay fork that were stolen from Lawrence.

Members of the Morgantown Modern Woodmen of America Chapter recently helped raise money for the Boys & Girls Club of Butler County during their Annual Radio Auction on WLBQ 1570AM. The event held on December 3, 2011, raised $9,950.00.  This includes $1,500 matched by Modern Woodmen’s home office through the organization’s Matching Fund program.  The money will be used for program administration. 

Although 2011 began with lingering concerns about drought, the year ended as one of the wettest on record in Kentucky, according to State Climatologist Stuart Foster.

While final numbers from the National Climatic Data Center are not yet available, Dr. Foster said, the statewide average precipitation total from the Kentucky Mesonet, Kentucky’s official source of climatological observations, exceeded 63 inches and placed 2011 along with 1979 and 1950 as the wettest years in Kentucky in more than a century.

Beech Tree News provides courthouse statistics on a regular basis. Courthouse information provided in this article is a matter of public record. The following records are from the Butler County Circuit Clerk’s offices and cover December 13-December 31, 2011.

Civil Cases:
Rodney Cooper vs. Curtis Howard
Deutsche Bank National Trust Company vs. Dana Hayward

Family Court:
Joseph Hoffman vs. Heather Ann Hoffman
Mark Carroll vs. Ronda Carroll

Marriage Licenses:

Motorists traveling on US 231 in Butler County may experience slight delays while crews make additional repairs to the Aberdeen Bridge.

A lane closure will be in place from 8:30 am until 3:00 pm beginning Wednesday, Jan. 4 and will last approximately two weeks. Flaggers will be onsite to direct traffic while the lane closure is in place. There will be no work done during the weekends.

Motorists are advised to reduce their speed while traveling through this work zone.

The Butler County Animal Shelter and the FiXiT Foundation are working together to encourage the spaying and neutering of cats.  The mission of the foundation, according to its website is "to end overpopulation of companion animals by developing a system to support and promote incentive-based spay/neuter programs and produce solutions to bring spay/neuter to everyone."

That is a goal the Butler County Animal shares, which is why they are promoting a spaying/neutering special on cats for the month of January.

According to the Morgantown Police Department thieves broke in to the Morgantown Mission sometime on the night of Friday, December 30th. Officer John Ford said the back door of the Mission was more than likely forced open with a crowbar. The thieves then used the crowbar to break into the Director’s office where they forced open a filing cabinet and stole the Mission’s money bag. Ford said that Director Garry McKinney hasn’t determined exactly how much money was taken, but that it was in excess of $300.