(Editor’s Note: This story is courtesy of Michael Gossum, WKBO reporter)

Russell County’s 17-year-old Jacob Taylor was riding his four-wheelers this summer with some friends in a wildlife management area in Russell County.

Fish and Wildlife Resource Officer Wayne Wilson pulled him and two other friends over, but Taylor said he was the only one who got a ticket.

“I felt very disappointed they gave Jacob the citation and not the other children. If all of them are guilty, give all of them tickets not just pick and choose one,” said Taylor’s mother Toni Withers.

Taylor said Wilson told him it was just a warning, but he had to go to court and ultimately serveda few hours community service for trespassing on a Wildlife Management Area.

However, that was just the beginning.

About a month later, Taylor said he ran into officer Wilson at a local gas station.

“I went to ask him why I had to appear in court when it was just a warning. He said that it wasn’t the place to talk about it, the best thing I could do was get back in the truck. I leaned up against the post to talk to him and I said what’s the big deal? He said I’m only going to tell you one more time. I said I’m just trying to ask you a question. He jumped out and shoved me up against the truck and arrested me for no reason,” said Jacob Taylor.

The security footage breaks up and skips ahead a bit, but Taylor said he ended up in the back of Wilson’s truck in handcuffs, facing disorderly conduct and menacing charges.

“It’s escalating to giving me a bad name in the county, and him threatening me after I’m 18, that he will have me in jail for some reason or another,” said Taylor.

Taylor said he now has a curfew and his family is collecting signatures for a petition to have the officer removed.

Officer Wilson said he is not allowed to comment on the matter, but he said he would have his superior officer contact WBKO.

County Attorney Kevin Shearer said he could not comment on any juvenile related matters.

Taylor pleaded not guilty to the charges, and has hired an attorney from Jamestown to represent him.

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The ARC Pregnancy Support Center in Russell Springs held an open house this past Wednesday, opening its doors to folks and giving them the opportunity to see what the center’s all about, according to Geraldine Johnson, the center’s coordinator.

The non-profit, non-denominational Christian outreach organization, created in 2002, offers a variety of services to clients free of charge as it is completely donation-based.

Johnson, who came aboard as the new director in August following the retirement of Vonda Carter, said she was pleased with the turnout for the open house as she described some of the services the center offers.

“We have our baby boutique and we offer parenting classes where you can learn,” she said. “You can take these classes and earn the baby bucks and with that you can buy diapers, baby clothes, a crib and everything we have here is donated to us.”

The classes encompass a variety of subjects that include potty training, changing diapers and cooking, among others.

The center is funded by gifts from several local churches and generous businesses and individuals in the community, according to Johnson. This is how the center pays their rent as well as their utility bills.

“It is a great ministry here but still a lot of people don’t realize we’re here and some are just tickled to death to find out we do exist,” Johnson said. She said many people also donate gently used clothes and baby items to the center as well.

“We’re always happy to get things,” she said. “Also, there is no income limit here. A lot of people think it is for low income families but it is for anybody that needs help. We’ll help in any way we can.

The center’s aim is to promote the welfare and protection of pre-born and young children by providing love, compassion, guidance and assistance to those families in need.

She called having the open house a “community awareness” project and was something they do each year to educate folks in the community about their services.

Johnson said she has two volunteers that help at the center, 80-year-old Madeline Prater from the Experience Works program as well as Roxanne Pruitt from the Work to Learn program at Somerset Community College.

The center does not encourage abortion but offers sensible and moral alternatives and supports pro-life ideals.

The center serves clients from Russell, Adair and Casey counties and has served clients as young as 13 to women into their fifties. Counseling, an abstinence program and free pregnancy tests are also offered at the facility to those in need.

If you would like to become involved too, there are many ways to help. Items like diapers, wipes, baby equipment as well as monetary donations are always needed.

The center is located at 1024 W. Steve Variner Dr. in the old RECC building in Russell Springs and are open Monday through Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Their telephone number is 270-866-2377.