Wayne County Outlook

Posted October 2, 2012 at 6:31 pm

A Wayne County Deputy Jailer has been arrested in connection with a week-long investigation at the Detention Center.

According to Jailer Ray Upchurch, Robert E. Slaven, 33, of Monticello, was arrested at about 12:05 a.m. on Saturday, September 22, after deputy jailers detained him for attempting to bring contraband into inmates at the facility.

Slaven was charged with promoting contraband first degree and was lodged in the Wayne County Detention Center.

Upchurch said that Slaven was working at the time of his arrest and had reported for his shift at 10 p.m. on Friday, September 21. He was scheduled to work until 6 a.m. on Saturday.

The arrest came after Upchurch, jail staff and the Monticello Police Department had conducted an investigation.

Upchurch noted that Slaven was apprehended before he could get contraband to any inmates.

He said Slaven was terminated immediately from his position as deputy jailer. He noted that as in the past, promoting contraband at the facility will not be tolerated and anyone caught will be prosecuted.

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Former Wayne County Clerk Melissa Turpin was arrested in Pulaski County on Thursday, September 20 and charged with one count of second degree forgery.

The arrest was made following an investigation by Kentucky Attorney General Jack Conway. Turpin, 39, of Monticello, is accused of forging the signature of Pulaski County Clerk Ralph Troxtell on a title for a 2006 Toyota Highlander, which was sold on Craig’s List to a Maryland resident, according to Conway.

A spokesperson from Conway’s office said the investigation began in mid-July, after his office received a complaint regarding the alleged forgery. During the course of the investigation, Troxtell confirmed that he did not sign the title, according to the spokesperson.

Investigators from Conway’s Department of Criminal Investigation (DCI) made the arrest. Turpin, who is the office manager and title clerk at Somerset Auto Auction, was transported to the Pulaski County Detention Center.

She was released that day on $5,000 bond.

Turpin is currently on probation in Wayne Circuit Court, where she pled guilty in 2009 to charges of theft and abuse of a public trust over $10,000. The charges stemmed from deficits in audits of her office. She resigned from office in October 2009.

The plea deal for Turpin called for a 10-year sentence. She served 60 days in jail and 120 days on home incarceration. The balance of her sentence was probated.

Turpin is also on probation in Franklin Circuit Court for filing false tax returns and failure to pay taxes.

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The Wayne County Coroner’s Office was called to the Wayne County Hospital Emergency Room on Friday, September 21 at 2:15 p.m.

A 17-year-old female had been brought to the ER by Wayne County EMS.

Life-saving efforts had been made but were unsuccessful, according to Coroner Forrest Hicks.

Madison Kinnett, 17, of Crawford View Drive, was pronounced dead at approximately 2:40 p.m. She had been found unresponsive at her home earlier in the afternoon.

An autopsy was conducted in Frankfort on Saturday to determine the cause of death.

In addition, the coroner’s office will be gathering information regarding her health history.