TIMES-VOICE Thursday, March 8, 2012 Page A5

‘STORMY’ From Front‘ARRESTED’ From Front

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURTEASTERN DISTRICT OF KENTUCKY

CENTRAL DIVISIONLEXINGTON

UNITED STATES OF AMERICAV. INDICTMENT NO.

ARCH TURNER* * * * *

THE GRAND JURY CHARGES:COUNT 1

18 U.S.C. § 1512(b)(3)From on or about a date in May 2010, and continuing until a date in February 2012, in Breathitt County, in the Eastern District of Ken-tucky,

ARCH TURNERdid attempt to knowingly and corruptly persuade a person with the intent to prevent the communication to a law enforcement officer of the United States of information relating to the commission or pos-sible commission of a Federal offense, that is, paying people for vot-ing in an election held in part to select a candidate for Member of the United States Senate, by assuring that person, among other things; that “I won’t tell on you and you won’t tell on me” or words to that effect; that the FBI didn’t have any evidence on them; that the only way they could get in trouble is if they told on themselves; that TURNER had already denied putting up cash for the election and he was going to stick with that story; and by providing that person with a false script to tell the FBI if he wereinterviewed or was called to testify; all in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1512(b)(3).

COUNT 218 U.S.C. § 371

From on or about a date in October 2010 and continuing until a date in November 2010, in Breathitt County, in the Eastern District of Ken-tucky, ARCH TURNER conspired and agreed with others, known and unknown, to violate a law of the United States, that is, 42 U.S.C. § 1973i(c), which makes it unlawful to pay or offer to pay a person for voting in an election held in part to select a Member of the United States Senate, and in furtherance of the conspiracy, and in order to ef-fect the objects thereof, ARCH TURNER withdrew cash from his bank account to be used for vote buying; all in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371.

COUNT 318 U.S.C. § 1001(a)(2)

On or about October 27, 2010, in Breathitt County, in the Eastern Dis-trict of Kentucky, ARCH TURNER, in a matter within the jurisdiction of the executive branch of the Government of the United States, that is, an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation into election fraud, did knowingly and willfully make a materially false statement to FBI Special Agent Clay Mason, by telling Special Agent Mason that he had not given anyone money for election purposes in the May primary and that he had withdrawn cash recently from his bank ac-count for personal use, when in fact, as he then knew, he had given a candidate money for vote buying in the May primary and he had withdrawn cash from his bank account to give to another candidate for vote buying and other election related expenses; all in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1001(a)(2).A TRUE BILLFOREPERSONKERRY B. HARVEYUNITED STATES ATTORNEY

PENALTIESCOUNT 1: Not more than 20 years imprisonment, $250,000 fine, and 3 years supervised release.COUNTS 2-3: Not more than 5 years imprisonment, $250,000 fine, and 3 yearssupervised release.PLUS: Mandatory special assessment of $100 per count.PLUS: Restitution, if applicable.

This week, Jackson Walmart donated around $5,000 worth of merchandise to the victims of the tornadoes in nearby West Liberty. Assistant Manager Ross Everage (in white shirt) said, "We wanted to reach out to the community in this time of dev-astation. We're such a large retailer and we wanted people to know that Walmart is here to help in this time of need." Do-nations included canned food, peanut butter, crackers, other nonperishable no-heat foods, paper towels, toilet paper, dia-pers, baby wipes, baby food, formula, bottles, and other neces-sities. The items were taken to West Liberty with help from the Jackson Fire Dept.

The need has arisen for a reputable and safe locations that area citizens feel comfortable leaving donations, knowing they will reach the people in most need. These central locations will also limit the number of people traveling into these stricken areas to deliver items, allowing first responders more access to people in the devastated communities. This effort does not end with one truck of donations, but many trucks, as our mountain neighbors try to put their lives and homes back to together. Jackson City Mayor Rose Wolfe with the Jackson-Breathitt Red Cross invites all Breathitt County residents to help with the disaster effort following Friday’s storms. A box truck is parked at the Jackson True Value and will be leaving Jackson as soon as it is filled up with donated items for the people in West Liberty. Supplies need to be taken and dropped off at True Value. They do not need clothing, so PLEASE do not take old clothing. Kentucky State Police across the state are also getting involved and invite all residents to drop off donated items at each post and the headquarters in Frankfort. All items donated will be evenly distributed to all communities impacted by Friday’s storms. Collection of items has already begun and will continue through Sunday, March 10. Monetary donations are not encouraged through KSP, if you would like to contribute monetarily should contact the local Red Cross. The following items are needed greatly: Bottled water, non-perishable food items, disposable gloves (rubber or latex), paper and or plastic goods (plates, utensils, napkins, towels and bowls), coffee pots, blankets, baby items (formula, food, diapers in all sizes, blankets, bottles), cat and dog food, toothbrushes/toothpaste, toilet paper, antibiotic cream, shaving cream/razors, shampoo/cream rinse, feminine products, deodorant, bath towels/washcloths, batteries, flashlights, cleaning supplies such as leather gloves, bleach, mops, brooms and buckets, trash bags (all sizes), shovels, rakes, laundry detergent, bottled hand soap/hand sanitizer, body wash, soap, first aid kits and band-aids. Janie Griffith, Director of the Breathitt County Museum joins with Mayor Wolfe asking everyone to help our mountain neighbors, “ I am sure they feel like their world has come to an end.”

The City of Jackson recently received four new Ford trucks. The money for two of the trucks came from a water and sewer grant. Money for the other vehicles came from coal severance money awarded under former Jackson Mayor Mike Miller. Current Mayor Rose Wolfe said, “The money was awarded two years ago. The vehicles were bought under state contract at state prices. They were not bought with taxpayer’s money. It took so long to get them because they’re made on an assembly line – first come, first serve. We just had to wait until ours were made.”

New trucks for city

Storm donation sites announced

Arch Turner, a time line1965 – Graduated from Breathitt County High School. Turner would attend college at Eastern Kentucky University in Rich-mond.1970 – Began teaching. Turner would later become principal at the old Turner’s School near Turner’s Creek. He also served as principal at Highland-Turner Elementary.July 2005 – Appointed as Superintendent of Breathitt County Schools. January 2011 – Board members vote to extend Turner’s contract by a year. Currently, Turner’s contract will expire June 30, 2014.March 1, 2012 – Turner is arrested on charges of obstruction of justice, conspiracy to buy votes and making false statements to a federal agent.March 3, 2012 – Arraignment. Turner pleads not guilty and is released. May 14, 2012 – Next scheduled court date.

one of the cars, all the while not a soul was to be found on Court Street.

Two of the vehicles, includ-ing the one with Superintendent Turner, left town immediately, while the other unmarked ve-hicle found a parking spot along Main Street and stayed for a while longer. By 9:45 a.m., literally minutes after the ar-rest, Jackson was abuzz with the news of the arrest with downtown workers spilling from their offices and congregating on the streets, seemingly all with cell phones to their ears. Members of the local media quickly emerged with cameras in hand, but it was too late for the sensational. As a tornado swiftly moves, the agents had whisked Superintendent Turner out of town. The plain-clothed agents that remained downtown walked along Main Street blend-ing in as typical pedestrians,

going about their business quite professionally with the crowd totally unaware as to whom they were. Minutes later, after stopping for coffee at the fast food restaurant, which parking lot they’d rendezvoused ear-lier, the remaining agents, too, were on their way out of town; just another routine day for the agents; not so routine for Brea-thitt County…especially atypi-cal for neighboring communities in eastern Kentucky.

And while much rebuilding and healing is needed for neigh-boring counties of Morgan, Menifee and Magoffin; Breathitt County has to deal with a storm of a different nature, one which may not be over. While dark clouds moved in from the west on a day that eastern Kentuck-ians will long remember, some residents of Breathitt County witnessed a vivid rainbow; per-haps an omen of a brighter day.

Betty HardinTimes-Voice Reporter

In November 2010, nine in-dividuals were charged with conspiracy to buy votes in the May 2010 primary election in Breathitt County when a federal grand jury in Lexington returned two sets of indictments.

Indictment one contained eight counts and charged Mi-chael Salyers, Naomi Johnson, Earl Young and Jackie Jennings.

Salyers was charged with sev-en counts of vote buying. Saly-ers has since pleaded guilty and accepted a plea agreement. He agreed to plead guilty to count one in his indictment in order to have Counts 2 – 8 dismissed.

Salyers is scheduled for sen-tencing on Wednesday, May 23. According to his plea agree-ment, the maximum sentence for this offense is five years imprisonment, a fine of not more than $250,000, and supervised release for not more than three years.

Johnson and Jennings were

Updates on previous vote buying indictments

charged with two counts of vote buying. Young was charged with one count of vote buying.

The three are scheduled to be in court Monday, April 9, in Lexington.

Paula Jean Noble was charged with five counts of vote buying. She is also charged with perjury after allegedly making false statements about her knowledge of vote buying activity before a United States grand jury on March 4, 2011.

Joseph Strong was charged with three counts of vote buying.

Richard L. Turner, the only individual from Owsley County listed in the indictments, was charged with two counts of vote buying.

George Daniel Strong and Woodrow Glenn Burton were each charged with one count of vote buying.

These five individuals are scheduled to appear in court on Monday, May 7.

If convicted, each defendant faces a maximum prison sen-tence of five years.

Governor Beshear: Unauthorized personnel advised to

stay away from stricken areas Local and state emergency

officials urge citizens to use extreme caution following Friday’s severe storms and tornadoes that caused widespread damage, injuries and loss of life. The Kentucky Department of Public Health reports 20 fatalities from the storms, and more than 300 people have been reported injured.

After visiting some of the worst impacted areas on Saturday, Governor Steve Beshear warned Kentuckians to heed warnings from emergency managers to stay off the roads and away from affected communities. “Unfortunately, after a disaster like the one we have experienced, people take to the road for one of two reasons: to offer unsolicited help, or to tour the damage. That’s not helpful to our emergency responders,” said Gov. Beshear. “Our emergency responders and National Guard troops need immediate and unfettered access to our roads, and they can’t effectively continue that work if they’re fighting traffic.”

People who want to offer assistance to affected communities should contact their local Red Cross chapter for information. Emergency managers in the affected communities are strongly discouraging people from traveling to these communities to offer help.

Interested parties seeking to make donations go http://kyem.ky.gov/recovery/Pages/VolunteerCoordination.aspx for directions and list of registered charities and affiliates. Residents should be wary of using alternate heat and power sources, some of which emit carbon monoxide, an odorless, colorless gas that can cause sudden illness and death. Carbon monoxide safety tips can be found at http://www.cdc.gov/co/guidelines.htm. Never run a generator indoors; never use a charcoal grill indoors. Be sure to follow manufacturers’ safety

Emergency Officials Issue Safety Messages Following Severe Storms, Tornadoes

instructions when using alternate heat sources such as kerosene heaters. Residents beginning clean-up work should exercise great caution when entering damaged buildings. Never re-enter until the structure has been inspected and deemed safe by a qualified person. Be sure electric and gas have been shut off or disconnected. These and other safety tips can be found at http://www.fema.gov/rebuild/recover/return.shtm Friends or family who have been unable to locate loved ones since last Friday’s storms are encouraged to register the missing person’s information on the Kentucky Emergency Management website www.kyem.ky.gov or through the American Red Cross Safe and Well Program at www.americanredcross.org.

Severa l she l te r s have been opened by the Red Cross to accommodate ci t izens displaced by the storm including: Morgan Central Elementary School, 3201 Highway 460, West Liberty, KY

Grant County High School, 715 Warsaw Rd., Dry Ridge, KY

Morgan Community Center, 147 Victory Ave., Bedford, KY

Governor Steve Beshear has deployed a total of 387 National Guard Troops and the Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction has already dispatched five general inspectors to assist with building assessments in counties hit by the storms. Kentucky State Parks is offering a special rate to storm victims. Kentuckians can call any state park for more details. View http://www.parks.ky.gov for numbers and locations.

The Department of Insurance is sending disaster response team members and materials into all counties hit by Friday’s storm. For more information, view www.insurance.ky.gov or call 1-800-595-6053.

Local Walmart donates to tornado relief efforts

and he was going to stick with that story.

When interviewed by the FBI in October 2010, Turner alleg-edly made false statements to FBI Special Agent Clay Mason by saying he had not given any candidate money for election purposes in the May primary that year. Turner said the money he withdrew from his bank ac-count was not taken out to buy votes but for personal use. The indictment alleges Turner gave money from his bank account for vote buying purposes in the May primary and that he had withdrawn money to give to another candidate for vote buy-ing and other election-related expenses.

Lynn Ethel Herald, attorney for the Breathitt County Board of Education, said the board has not released a statement regard-ing Turner’s indictments.

“In order to develop a state-ment, the board would have to meet and as far as I know a meeting has not been called,” she said.

Board Member Ina South-wood declined to comment on the matter.

Lisa Gross, direction of the Division of Communication for the Kentucky Department of Education said the state board of education is not investigat-ing Turner.

“We will be contacting the prosecutor to obtain a copy of the indictment, and we will

discuss with the board attorney as to whether Mr. Turner will resign his position,” she said. “If he does not resign, KRS 156.132 enables this agency to pursue removal proceedings, based on the facts in the indictment and/or trial. If the superintendent is removed as a result of those proceedings, the local board of education would name a re-placement.”

Turner, who is the 12th highest paid superintendent out of the 172 reporting school districts in the state, was arraigned in Lexington on Monday, where he pleaded not guilty. The judge released him on conditions. Those conditions include but are not limited to: submitting to supervision by and reporting for supervision by the United States Probation Office; travel restricted to the Eastern Dis-trict of Kentucky; avoiding all contact, directly or indirectly, with any person who is a victim or witness in the investigation or prosecution, except through counsel, no contact with any known government witness or defendant in this or a related prosecution and no discussion of case subject matter (witness, de-fense, claims) with any person; and must not possess a firearm.

His next court date is May 15. The penalties, if Turner is convicted, are listed in his in-dictment which is also printed in today’s Times-Voice.