A jury was selected a week ago Monday, February 11, in Wayne Circuit Court in the murder trial of a local mother and her boyfriend, who are charged in connection with the death of her son, Staten Stephenson.

The 17-month-old died in July 2011.

According to a complaint filed in the case, the baby arrived at Wayne County Hospital with “evidence of blunt force trauma and was unresponsive.”

He was transferred to the University of Kentucky Medical Center where he died 10 days later.

Kayla Lord and Jared Futrell were arrested on July 27, 2011.

Both were charged with murder and first degree criminal abuse. They were indicted by a local grand jury in September 2011.

Jury selection began last Monday morning and continued throughout the day.

A jury was seated late in the afternoon. The case was set to begin at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, February 12, according to court officials.

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Former Wayne County Clerk Melissa Turpin was indicted on a charge of second degree forgery last week by a Pulaski County Grand Jury.

Turpin, 40, was arrested on Thursday, February 7 and lodged in Pulaski County Detention Center on a $25,000 full cash bond, according to information released by the Kentucky Attorney General’s Office.

Turpin was also indicted on one count of being a persistent felony offender.

The charges against Turpin follow an investigation by the Attorney General’s Department of Criminal Investigations that began in August 2012.

Turpin, while serving as the office manager and title clerk from Somerset Auto Auction, is accused of forging the signature of Pulaski County Clerk Ralph Troxtell on a title for a 2006 Toyota Highlander sold on Craig’s List to a Maryland resident.

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.

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

An arraignment date has been set for February 21 in Pulaski Circuit Court.

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The City of Monticello has been awarded a $1 million Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) for Phase II of the Scattered Site Housing Project.

Council members learned about the grant award during last Monday night’s meeting.

Phase II of the project includes 13 homes, according to Monticello Mayor Jeffrey Edwards. Twelve will be new construction and one will be a rehab project.

The City of Monticello will contribute $10,000 to the project.