Image 1 of The Anderson News February 8, 2012

JUDGE-EXECUTIVE SAYS LIBRARY SHOULD FORGET EXPANSION, A5 IDE to State Rep. King ‘optimistic’ after judge tosses redistricting, A7 S IN S Sav e up CO U P O N The Anderson News rson Setting standards of excellence since 1877 Lawrenceburg, Kentucky Wednesday, February 8, 2012 75 cents Family sues after mom’s corpse tumbles into grave Lawsuit contends cemetery operators tried to hide damages to casket, body By Ben Carlson General Manager A Lawrenceburg woman and her sisters are suing the operators of a cemetery in Franklin County after their mother’s corpse was “ejected” from her casket and tumbled to the bottom of her grave, according to a lawsuit filed Feb. 2 in Franklin Circuit Court by Louisville-based attorney Christopher Haden. Brenda Gardener and her sisters, Susan Nowak of Louis- ville and Ruth Ritter of Frankfort, are suing Indiana-based Saber Management, which operates Sunset Memorial Gardens, for undisclosed damages. They claim the cemetery used improper equipment to lower their mother’s casket into a grave and conspired to cover up damages to the casket and their mother’s corpse. They also claim the cemetery’s By John Herndon Sports Editor Lucas resigns after being drunk at scene of wreck, lying to police By Ben Carlson General Manager Photo courtesy of LEX18 Sgt. Les Vogt of the Lawrenceburg Police Department tests fellow officer Kyle Lucas for alcohol intoxication last Friday morning following an accident in Franklin County on US 127. He failed the test. Franklin County Sheriff Pat Melton said his office didn’t test Lucas, because he had already said he wasn’t driving. Courtney Chesser, 19, later admitted she was driving. the accident, but did not give Lucas a Breathalyzer test at the scene because Lucas had already claimed he wasn’t driving. Chesser, who was found in Lawrenceburg around 4 a.m. after the accident, told Lawrenceburg police she was driving the vehicle and offered a sordid explanation for the cause of the accident. Chesser said that “Mr. Lucas was performing a sexual act on her that caused her to take her eyes off the road,” according to a report obtained from the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office. See RESIGNED, Page A2 Giving nature a second chance Lawrenceburg woman helps injured wildlife recover, survive By Meaghan Downs Staff writer Kentucky wildlife receive a second chance at Nature’s Haven, an Anderson County animal recovery center focused on rehabilitating infant mammals and releasing them back into the wild. Wildlife rehabilitator Robin Thompson, who has been managing the non-profit center for about a year, describes Nature’s Haven as a “wildlife hospice,” not a petting zoo or pest control. “They generally have one foot in the ground by the time we get to them,” she said. Located on her property in western Anderson County, Nature’s Haven supports a menagerie of recovering young See GRAVE, Page A2 Cheerleaders OK after fall No charges filed against city cop A Lawrenceburg police officer who police say was drunk at the scene of a vehicle accident, who witnesses say told the vehicle’s 19-yearold female driver to run, and who apparently lied to police about her identity will not face criminal charges. Instead, Officer Kyle Lucas was offered and accepted a chance to Baker resign, Mayor Edwinna Baker confirmed Tuesday fternoon. The driver of the vehicle, Courtney hesser of Lawrenceburg, is being harged with leaving the scene of an ccident that occurred around 1:30 a.m. n US 127 in Franklin County. On Tuesday, Franklin County Sheriff at Melton confirmed that Lucas would ot be charged following a meeting ith the Franklin County attorney. “She will be charged with leaving the cene of an accident,” Melton said, who nsisted Lucas was not treated differntly than anyone else would have been n that situation. “There isn’t enough to rosecute him on.” Melton said his office investigated operators were negligent, mishandled the corpse, committed fraud and intentionally inflicted emotional distress on the family. According to the lawsuit, cemetery operators used a woodland mammals, mostly squirrels, bunnies, raccoons, fawns and possums. During the busy “baby season” from late February to October, Thompson said, she could have as many as 30 baby possums and 20 raccoons to nurse back to full health before their six-month release deadline. “Every two hours, I’m feeding something,” she said. Because Kentucky Fish and Wildlife does not offer rehabilitation services, Thompson said, her registered wildlife care center fulfills a need that didn’t previPhotos by Meaghan Downs ously exist for the eight counties she covers, including Anderson. Robin Thompson and Jerome, a rescued raccoon soon to be “There’s not a resource for indi- released, stand in front of Nature’s Haven, located on Thomp- See CHANCE, Page A2 son’s property. Two Anderson County High School cheerleaders received quite a scare just before Saturday’s basketball game at the school. Laiken Bowen and Amber Kelly were injured when Kelly fell from the top of a pyramid just before tipoff of the Bearcats’ game with McCreary Central. Several witnesses reported that as she was trying to stop Kelley’s fall, Bowen fell backwards, hitting her head on the basketball court. Bowen did not move from mid-court. Anderson basketball coach Glen Drury, cheerleading coach Tonya Bowman, sheriff’s deputies Greg Boblitt and Robbie Armstrong and Anderson County school superintendent Sheila Mitchell tended to Bowen before members of the Emergency Medical Service arrived to transport her to Frankfort Regional Hospital, where she was treated and released. Kelley appeared to sustain a wrist injury. The extent of her injuries had not been confirmed at press time. Mitchell, however, confirmed that the injuries were not serious. “Both girls are OK and are at home,” she said in an e-mail on Monday. GRAND JURY Main St. man indicted on incest charges From staff reports The Anderson County Grand Jury has indicted a Lawrenceburg man on four counts of incest, according to documents on file in Anderson Circuit Court. Jeffrey Wolverton, 50, of 309 South Main St., was indicted on charges dating back to 1995. According to the indictment, he “committed the offense of incest when he had deviate sexual intercourse with a person whom he knew to be an ancestor, descendent, brother or sister, and who was less than 12 years of age.” Wolverton was scheduled to See INDICTMENTS, Page A2 www.theandersonnews.com Index Weekend Forecast Vol. 135 No. 45 • Two sections Calendar........................ A12 Opinion ........................A4-5 Church........................... A13 Real Estate ...................... B7 Classifieds ....................B5-6 Society .......................... A12 Court ............................A8-9 Sports ..........................B1-4 Obituaries ....................... A6 Way We Were ................ A11 Friday: Partly cloudy. High: Mid-40s. Low: Upper 20s. Saturday: Partly cloudy. High: Mid-30s. Low: Lower 20s. Sunday: Partly cloudy. High: Upper 30s. Low: Mid-20s. Like us on Facebook! You could win an online subscription!