ner of Rippetoe Funeral Home in Russell Springs, was convicted of manufacturing methamphetamine Friday, August 12 by a Russell Circuit Jury, which recommended a 20-year prison sentence.

Rippetoe’s trial lasted just a day. He was charged in August 2010, along with Michael Kerr, with manufacturing meth in his home on Lakeway Drive in Russell Springs.

Kerr pled guilty earlier this year and received a 15 year prison sentence.

Rippetoe was also convicted of being a persistent felony offender due to his earlier convictions of theft of money from pre-paid funeral accounts deposited with Rippetoe Funeral Home, which is no longer in operation.

It took the jury less than an hour before returning the guilty verdict and recommending the 20-year prison sentence. Rippetoe has been lodged in Russell County Detention Center since his arrest last year and was taken back there until his final sentencing on October 11.

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A Russell Springs man pled guilty to sex crimes involving a family member two weeks ago in Russell Circuit Court and has agreed to serve more than a decade in prison, according to circuit court records.

Donnie Ray Stephens, 47, entered into the plea agreement last Thursday, August 11 to avoid going to trial after being indicted in January for first degree rape and incest.

Stephens pled guilty to amended charges of second degree rape and unlawful transaction with a minor. Under the plea bargain, Stephens received six years on each count, which will run consecutively for a total of 12 years.

Stephens’ formal sentencing will be November 7 in Russell Circuit Court. He remains lodged in Russell County Detention Center until that time.

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Russell Springs pharmacist Leon Grider was found guilty of trafficking in a controlled substance in Adair Circuit Court Thursday, August 11 after a four-day trial and could possibly face up to nine years in prison.

Grider, 75, was found guilty of trafficking in methadone to a confidential informant working with state police during an undercover investigation in June 2005.

Following the conviction, the jury recommended that Grider be sentenced to nine years after nearly two hours of deliberation of the class C felony, which generally carries a sentence between five and 10 years.

Jurors were shown an evidence video of Grider delivering a bottle containing 100 methadone pills to the informant at a mobile home on Providence Rd., off Old Columbia Rd. near the Adair-Russell County line.

At the time, Grider was also charged with trafficking in a controlled substance third degree for a transaction involving 60 pills of alprazolam.

Grider was indicted by an Adair County Grand Jury on the two trafficking charges in September 2005 with the start of the trial being delayed several times as motions were filed.

Special Judge James L. Bowling, Jr., who presided over the trial, set Grider’s formal sentencing date for September 28.

Following the trial’s outcome, Grider was lodged in Adair County Detention Center.

Also, late last week the Kentucky Court of Appeals reversed and remanded an October 2009 ruling of eight counts of trafficking in controlled substance and seven counts of bribery of a witness or witnesses against Grider, reinstating the indictment on grounds that the circuit court erred when originally dismissing the indictment.

The charges resulted from an undercover operation conducted by Russell Springs Police Department and Kentucky State Police in 2003 through 2005.

Special Judge Gary Payne dismissed the charges nearly two years ago.

Senior Judge Joseph Lambert, who is sitting as special judge by assignment of the chief justice, delivered the opinion.

The opinion summarized, saying the circuit court dismissed the indictment with prejudice against Grider due to the Commonwealth’s failure either to turn over original documents or to provide meaningful access to these documents in compliance with a May 2007 order.

The Court of Appeals opined, “While we certainly do not condone the Commonwealth’s actions, we, nonetheless, believe the circuit court erred by dismissing the indictment and thus reverse the order of dismissal.”

Further action regarding the case is forthcoming in Russell Circuit Court.

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The Russell Springs City Council formed a park advisory board at last Thursday’s monthly meeting of city leaders.

“What we’d like to see is more things going on at the park,” said Councilman Eric Selby, who was sitting in for the vacationing Mayor Hollis DeHart. “We’ve got a great facility over there but there are a lot of things that could be done besides what’s being done now.”

Selby mentioned that while the park does host Little League throughout the summer as well as swimming and swim meets at the city pool, there are opportunities to bring more folks in with additional activities.

“The park is great,” he said. “I’ve been to several different parks…and I’ve not been to one yet that has got as good a park as we’ve got.”

Following the brief discussion, five persons, Faith Shepherd, John Dando, Angie Hadley, John Carter and Jim Kingry were nominated and subsequently named to the newly-formed park advisory board with Councilman Eddie Thomas serving as chairman of the board.

The advisory board is slated to meet monthly through warm weather months while meeting bi-monthly through the winter to come up with additional activities to go on at he park and get more citizens utilizing the facilities.

Possible activities for this coming fall include volleyball and basketball tournaments.