A Wayne County man was arrested on Thursday, July 14 by Pulaski County officials, after he was indicted for second degree rape, first degree rape, two counts of incest and four counts of sexual abuse.

Kenneth Edward Frazier, 37, of Country Meadow Lane, Monticello, was arrested by the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Department. He was lodged in Pulaski County Detention Center on a $100,000 bond.

According to the indictment handed down by a Pulaski County Grand Jury earlier this month, Frazier allegedly carried out the acts in October and November 2010 with at least four children less than 18 years old.

Also included in the indictment were two rape charges. The indictment states that “On or about October 2010 (Frazier) commit(ed) the offense of rape, second degree by engaging in sexual intercourse with…a female less than (14) years of age.”

The indictment also alleges that Frazier committed “the offense of rape, first-degree by engaging in sexual intercourse with (the victim) through the use of forcible compulsion.”

The indictment continues by stating Frazier committed four acts of first-degree sexual abuse in October 2010 “by having sexual contact” with a victim less than 12 years old, two victims less than 16 years old and with a victim through the use of forcible compulsion.

Those acts also allegedly occurred in Pulaski County, according to the arrest citation.

(Note: Information for this story was provided by The Commonwealth Journal.)

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A Wayne County Grand Jury heard evidence in the case of a McCreary County woman who is facing numerous charges after attempting to attack a Family Court Judge.

Melissa Hardwick was arraigned in Wayne District Court on Monday, July 18, less than a week after video shows her jumping over the bench at Family Court Judge Jennifer Upchurch-Edwards.

During her court appearance, Hardwick entered a not guilty plea to charges of terroristic threatening third degree, intimidating a participant in a legal process, and resisting arrest.

She is represented by Joseph Black from the Department of Public Advocacy.

Black opted to skip the preliminary hearing in the case and asked that the case be waived directly to the grand jury, according to court records.

Hardwick, 45, was lodged in Wayne County Detention Center after her outburst in Family Court on Wednesday, July 13.

Upchurch-Edwards was in the process of sentencing Hardwick to 10 days in jail for contempt of court, after the woman had continued to interrupt a hearing on a domestic violence charge that had been sought by her ex-husband.

The video of Hardwick jumping over the bench has been aired on numerous state wide television stations, as well as national news outlets like CNN and Fox News.

The video shows Hardwick being restrained by bailiffs and making what appeared to be threats to Upchurch-Edwards as she was led from the courtroom.

The judge was not injured in the incident.

Hardwick is currently serving a 120-day sentence on the contempt of court charges in Family Court.

Bail for Hardwick on the other felony charges filed against her has been set at $25,000 cash.

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The Wayne County Sheriff’s Department has been informed that local residents have been targeted in a telephone scam. In this scam, the caller informs the recipient that their child or grandchild is in jail in Mexico and if money is not wired for bail, the accused child or grandchild will be sentenced to jail.

Officials are warning that this is a scam and anyone who receives this call should not give out any personal information on the phone, especially credit card or bank account information.

For more information, call the sheriff’s office at 348-5416.