Crash kills 10-year-old girl; Kentucky woman accused of DUI

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky police say a woman was intoxicated when she crashed into a vehicle, killing a 10-year-old girl.

News outlets report 24-year-old Sequoyah Collins was charged Friday with driving under the influence.

Lexington police Lt. Andrew Daugherty says Collins was speeding early Friday morning when she ran a red light and struck a car occupied by two adults and four children ranging in age from 9 to 12. One of the children was Alexia Gomez Hernandez who was pronounced dead.

Collins’ arrest citation says she told police she had two drinks about an hour-and-a-half before the crash. Court records say she smelled strongly of alcohol, had slurred speech and refused a breath or blood alcohol test.

It’s unclear whether she has an attorney.

Foster care report says privatization not a ‘silver bullet’

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — A group formed by the legislature to study the feasibility of privatizing foster care says Kentucky should focus on strengthening the system it already has.

The Lexington Herald-Leader reports the study group’s 26-page report was published Friday. It urges state officials to remember that privatization “is not a ‘silver-bullet.’” The report says the private sector is limited by the same issues the public child welfare agency faces.

Problems include record numbers of minors in out-of-home care, high caseworker turnover and low retention rates, and insufficient funding. Report recommendations include lessening caseworker workloads and broadening the availability of intervention services that help families avoid the removal of their children in the first place.

The findings will be presented to the legislature’s Child Welfare Advisory and Oversight Committee on Monday.

Kentucky police officer assaulted at hospital emergency room

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Police in Kentucky say a Lexington police officer was assaulted by a man at a hospital emergency room.

Lexington police spokeswoman Brenna Angel says in a news release the officer suffered significant injuries in Sunday’s attack at St. Joseph East Hospital in Lexington.

Angel says 29-year-old Michael B. Terry was charged with assault against a police officer, resisting arrest, menacing and disorderly conduct. He was booked into the Fayette County Detention Center. The statement didn’t list Terry’s hometown.

Angel says officers responded to the hospital after a commotion in the emergency room. As officers tried to arrest Terry, he allegedly produced a sharp object and struck one of the officers in the upper torso.

Angel says the officer is stable and alert. The officer’s name wasn’t released.

Kentucky man pleads guilty to robbing 4 banks in 3 states

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (AP) — A Kentucky man pleaded guilty to four counts of bank robbery.

The Daily News reports 47-year-old Decorise Major reached a plea agreement Tuesday. Major will be required to pay $20,618 in restitution and serve a yet-to-be-determined prison sentence.

Major was accused of participating in four bank heists in multiple states in a two-month period starting in September 2016.

He robbed a bank in Elizabethtown for about $3,000, one in Scottsville for about $13,000. He took $2,500 from a bank in Indiana and about $1,300 from a bank in Tennessee.

Each robbery carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

Prize money surges for horsemen racing at Churchill Downs

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Churchill Downs says its new gaming venue is already paying dividends for horsemen racing at the Louisville track.

Track officials say Churchill paid a record $32.2 million in prize money to horsemen during its recently ended spring meet. It was up nearly 45% from the amount paid to horsemen during last year’s spring meet.

Churchill officials say the record payout is due to robust business from historical racing machines at Derby City Gaming in Louisville. Historical racing machines resemble video gambling machines and offer bets on past horses races, keeping the names of the horses and the race secret.

Churchill Downs Inc. invested $65 million to open Derby City Gaming last September. It features nearly 1,000 historical racing machines, two restaurants, a center bar and multiple entertainment options.

Hemp-themed dinner to serve as Farmington fundraiser

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Hemp will be the theme at a dinner serving as a fundraiser to benefit Farmington Historic Plantation and a hemp heritage alliance.

As hemp enters a new era as a legal agricultural commodity, the event is planned for Thursday evening at Farmington in Louisville.

Guests will be served a meal prepared with hemp products by Adam Burress, a prominent local chef, along with a complimentary hemp cocktail hour and presentations by guest speakers.

Farmington was once the center of a thriving 550-acre hemp plantation. Now, the historic home interprets the hemp history rooted in the property to help educate visitors about the crop. In 2016, hemp returned to Farmington as part of the state’s hemp pilot project.

Officials looking for person who killed family’s pet alpaca

MT. STERLING, Ky. (AP) — Montgomery County authorities are looking for the person killed a family’s pet alpaca.

Lori Coffey tells WKYT-TV that she saw Ringo lying down and thought he had fallen. When they tried to move him, they saw he had been shot.

Coffey says Ringo came into their lives after he stowed away on a cattle truck of a friend who had gone up north for a sale.

Ringo lived in the yard and would walk up to anyone who approached the fence.

Coffey says she can’t imagine why someone would kill him.

Ringo was shot between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. on Tuesday.

Sheriff David Charles says the person responsible will face a charge for killing livestock. They person could also be charged with shooting a gun near a home.