Friday, June 10, 2005

A 62-year-old Morgantown man died Thursday afternoon in a one-car crash at 5:35 p.m. on Sandy Creek Road in Butler County.

Roy Lee Hope was driving a two-door Pontiac south on the road when the car crossed the northbound lane, ran off the roads left shoulder and into an embankment.

At that point, Hope, who was not wearing a seat belt, was thrown from the vehicle, which continued on another 30 feet before coming to a final rest. Hope was pronounced dead at the scene by the Butler County Coroners Office.

Arrest A Hart County strip club is out of business after Hart County Sheriffs Department deputies arrested six employees on various charges Thursday night.

They have been warned, if they open back up, they will be arrested again, said Hart County Sheriff Jeff Staples, adding that the business was shut down because it was in violation of a city ordinance forbidding public nudity.

Staples said he believed the business opened about two weeks ago, around the time he began receiving calls from nearby residents who complained the business, known as The Gentlemans Club, featured nudity and prostitution.

Tommy Lee Branstetter, son of former Hart County deputy sheriff Tommy Branstetter, was a disc jockey at the club and was arrested for disorderly conduct, according to the sheriffs department.

The clubs manager, Arnold F. Carter of Canmer, was charged with failure to obtain an entertainment license. Although Canmer was not nude, he was charged with public nudity along with the four strip dancers who were working under his supervision.

Those dancers were Shannon Buckner of Hardin County, Brandy Glass of Horse Cave and Jennifer Louise Habel and Linda S. Hammons of Glasgow.

All six were awaiting bond this morning in Hart County Jail.

Stables said a total of $5,608 was confiscated as evidence from the business because of the illegal activity. Kentucky State Police and city police from Horse Cave and Munfordville assisted the sheriffs department in the arrests.

Sentencing A Russellville man was sentenced Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Bowling Green to six years and five months in prison, followed by four years of supervised release, on a charge of possession of crack cocaine.

Kenston L. Taylor, 25, pleaded guilty in the case, admitting that he possessed 17.111 grams of crack cocaine in Logan County on Sept. 11, 2003.

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