Pulaski County Sheriff slain at rally
Pinkhouses1961
Pulaski sheriff is slain at rally
SOMERSET[Kentucky] -- Pulaski County Sheriff Sam Catron was shot and killed
Saturday night during a political rally, Kentucky State Police said.
State police Trooper Craig Sutton said Catron, 48, was killed by a single
bullet about 7:15 p.m. EDT at a political rally and fish fry in Shopville, a
community about 10 miles east of Somerset.
A suspect was being questioned Saturday night but had not been charged,
Sutton said at the state police post in London. The suspect's name has not
been released.
Sutton said state police were notified of the shooting at 7:20 p.m.
A Pulaski County sheriff's deputy and a member of the Shopville Fire
Department apprehended the suspect about five miles from the shooting before
state police arrived, Sutton said. The suspect was turned over to state
police at 7:41 p.m.
Sutton could not confirm whether the chase was made on foot or in a vehicle.
Sutton said an autopsy would be performed within the next 24 hours.
John Adams was the Pulaski County sheriff who hired Catron as a deputy in
1974. Catron, who had been sheriff since 1986, was running for a fifth term.
"Probably the most devastating thing to happen in my life," Adams, who was
sheriff for two four-year terms, said of Catron's slaying. "He's the best
deputy I ever had. ...
"I was at home with my wife. I'm normally at the fish fry, but she's been
ill so I didn't go," he said.
Adams said Catron was a favorite among local residents.
"He's been a good sheriff ... he's been an excellent sheriff, Lisa Delk of
Pulaski County told WLEX-TV. "He would help anybody, no matter what. You
never forget when someone is there for you like that. He's been good to a
lot of people."
Adams said Catron easily won the 1986 election because of his hard work and
determination while working as a deputy.
"I could go home at night, and Sam Catron would be working all night," Adams
said. "We have a lot of what we call 'scanner freaks.' They listen to the
scanner all night long, and they would hear Sammy out there working and they
don't forget that."
Catron and his challenger in the 1998 Republican primary election tied after
three vote counts, and Catron won by a coin toss prescribed under state law.
His opponent filed a lawsuit that voided the election because of
irregularities, and GOP election officials finally nominated Catron.
Catron appeared on a segment of "America's Most Wanted" on Saturday about a
former militia member who shot at a police officer and fled into the
mountains of eastern Kentucky in October. The man, Steve Anderson, is still
on the run from authorities.
Pinkhouses1961
additional info: This slain sherriff's father was a slain Somerset Police
Chief in 1964.
Slain Kentucky sheriff 'lived and breathed' law enforcement
SOMERSET, Ky. - A sniper's bullet at an outdoor fish fry and political rally
felled a Kentucky sheriff who had spent he past 17 years on the front line
of the war against illegal drugs.
Police charged a Pulaski County man with the murder of Sheriff Sam Catron,
who was campaigning at the rally.
Danny S. Shelley, 31, of Eubank, was charged with killing Pulaski County
Sheriff Sam Catron, 48.
Catron was hit by a single bullet Saturday as he was leaving the political
rally, fish fry and fire-department fund-raiser about 7:15 p.m. EDT.
Catron, first elected in 1985, was known for routinely wearing a bulletproof
vest, because his father, then-Somerset Police Chief Harold Catron, had been
shot and killed in 1964. Police did not immediately release many details of
how Sam Catron died, but scheduled a news conference for Sunday afternoon.
Catron, running for a fifth term as sheriff, gave a campaign speech and
bought two cakes at the rally in Shopville, a tiny community east of
Somerset and about 70 miles south of Lexington.
He had walked back to his cruiser when he was shot.
"The cake was still sitting on the car, on the trunk lid," said Darrell
Beshears, the Pulaski County judge-executive.
Shelley was apprehended shortly after the shooting, when a sheriff's deputy
and a Shopville firefighter gave chase and Shelley wrecked the motorcycle he
was riding.
Late Saturday night, Beshears appointed Catron's chief deputy, Jim
McWhorter, as sheriff.
"The senseless murder or assassination of our sheriff, who always had a
smile on his face and dedication in his heart, is devastating to the
community," Fred Neikirk, the former county attorney, said Sunday.
Somerset Mayor J.P. Wiles, who has known Catron since he was a deputy
sheriff, said Catron's death shocked local residents.
"People were just sick," he said Sunday. "It was devastating. "We've got a
quiet little community here. Then something like this happens _ it turns
everything upside down."
Wiles said Catron was known for his personal dedication to his job, and it
was not unusual to find the sheriff, who was single, out on patrol with his
deputies at 2 a.m.
"Law enforcement was Sam's life," Wiles said. "That's what he lived and
breathed and did well."
Catron trained as a pilot so he could fly a sheriff's department helicopter
used in aerial spotting of marijuana plants.
In September, Catron anounced more than 70 drug arrests on 129 indictments
in what he termed the biggest drug sting of its kind in Pulaski County.
Circuit Judge Bill Cain said Catron kept his courtroom busy with his drug
arrests. He said Catron used the helicopter to pinpoint pot patches and
eradicate them. Lately Catron was working on combatting an outbreak of
methamphetime labs.
Catron also had appeared on a segment of "America's Most Wanted" that aired
Saturday about a former militia member who is wanted by police in eastern
Kentucky. A state police spokeswoman, Lt. Lisa Rudzinski, said police had no
reason to believe Catron's shooting was related to that case.
Pinkhouses1961
deputy
> and a Shopville firefighter gave chase and Shelley wrecked the motorcycle
he
> was riding.
well, now this additional info:
"A sniper felled a Kentucky sheriff at a fish fry and fled the scene riding
a motorcycle belonging to one of the sheriff's opponents in his campaign for
re-election."
from
http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/news/breaking_news/3059877.htm
"A sniper felled a Kentucky sheriff at a fish fry and fled the scene riding
a motorcycle belonging to one of the sheriff's opponents in his campaign for
re-election.
Police charged a Pulaski County man with the murder of Sheriff Sam Catron,
who was campaigning at the rally. Danny S. Shelley, 30, of Eubank, was
apprehended when he wrecked the motorcycle that police said belonged to Jeff
Morris, a Republican candidate for sheriff in the May 28 primary.
Catron, 48, a Republican, has three GOP challengers in addition to Morris.
Captain Paul Hays, commander of the Kentucky State Police post in London,
declined to comment on a motive for the shooting. He sidestepped questions
about the relationship between Morris and Shelley, saying "that's part of
the investigation that we're following up on," Hays said.
Hays said the Yamaha motorcycle hadn't been reported stolen. State police
spokeswoman Lt. Lisa Rudzinski said Morris is not a suspect in the case.
Morris did not return phone calls to his home..."
Brad Ferguson
<Pinkhou...@aol.com> wrote:
> "A sniper felled a Kentucky sheriff at a fish fry and fled the scene riding
> a motorcycle belonging to one of the sheriff's opponents in his campaign for
> re-election.
>
> Police charged a Pulaski County man with the murder of Sheriff Sam Catron,
> who was campaigning at the rally. Danny S. Shelley, 30, of Eubank, was
> apprehended when he wrecked the motorcycle that police said belonged to Jeff
> Morris, a Republican candidate for sheriff in the May 28 primary.
>
> Catron, 48, a Republican, has three GOP challengers in addition to Morris.
>
> Captain Paul Hays, commander of the Kentucky State Police post in London,
> declined to comment on a motive for the shooting. He sidestepped questions
> about the relationship between Morris and Shelley, saying "that's part of
> the investigation that we're following up on," Hays said.
>
> Hays said the Yamaha motorcycle hadn't been reported stolen. State police
> spokeswoman Lt. Lisa Rudzinski said Morris is not a suspect in the case.
Why the hell not?
MadCow57
AND I VOTE
- bumper sticker seen in Pulaski County<< -- David Carson
When I was a kid, many of my relatives were volunteer firemen, and had a
scanner going at home 24/7. It always used to amaze me that they could hear
their fire company's call no matter how many people were there eating and
yakking.
My 87-year-old aunt, widow of a fire chief, lives next door to the firehouse
and still keeps her scanner on all day.
Pinkhouses1961
update:
http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/news/3066001.htm
[excerpts]
"Local political observers said Shelley[the shooter] had been helping Morris
in his campaign. Morris was not at home last night and did not return
telephone calls."
"Many in Pulaski County were reeling yesterday from the news of Catron's
murder. Catron, 48, had been in law enforcement in the county for more than
25 years -- as sheriff since 1985, and as a deputy and police chief in
Ferguson before that.
Local officials, current and past police officers from a number of agencies,
and distraught friends clustered at the sheriff's office yesterday to
support Catron's officers and one another.
"I don't know if I can ever get over this loss," said a shaken Jim
McWhorter, who had been Catron's chief deputy and was sworn in to replace
him. "This whole thing is so senseless."
The Wal-Mart in Somerset, where Shelley once worked as a parking lot
attendant, gave away yellow and brown ribbons in honor of Catron yesterday,
and people left flowers in the rain outside his office. In Ferguson, a small
town near Somerset, someone put up a hand-lettered, red-white-and-blue sign:
"Goodbye Sammy. We will miss you, our friend."
Catron's father, Harold, was police chief in Somerset when he was shot and
killed on his porch in 1964, when Sam Catron was 11. Catron lived at that
house with his mother, Jennie Rachel Catron"
"Death penalty may be sought
Pulaski Commonwealth's Attorney Eddy Montgomery might seek the death penalty
against Shelley. State law makes it a capital crime to intentionally kill a
police officer engaged in the performance of his or her duties, Montgomery
said.
One question is whether Catron was performing his duties at the fish fry,
Montgom-ery said, though he noted that Catron was in uniform and was at the
event in his capacity as sheriff.
Stoess said Catron was the first Kentucky sheriff shot to death in 10 years.
In January 1992, Powell County Sheriff Steve Bennett and Deputy Arthur
Briscoe were shot to death while trying to make an arrest. Two months later,
in March 1992, Johnson County Sheriff Cecil E. "Gene" Cyrus was shot and
killed.
Last month, former Harlan County Sheriff Paul Browning Jr., was apparently
killed while campaigning to regain his former post. A charred body found in
Browning's burned pickup was identified as his, and the case is being
investigated as a murder."
"Catron was killed about 7:15 p.m. Saturday. He and other candidates for
local office, including Morris, had been campaigning at the fund-raising
fish fry.
'He stopped and looked'
Catron had been there since about 5 p.m., shaking hands with voters; his
mother and sister were also at the event, said fire Chief R.J. Riley. Catron
has one other sister and a brother.
The fund-raiser included a cake auction while the band took a break. Catron
stood on the stage and helped with the sale, holding up cakes as people bid,
and bought two cakes himself.
Catron carried the cakes to his car across the road from the fire station,
put one on the trunk and reached for his keys to unlock the door. That's
when the assassin fired.
Catron fell to the ground, a cake in one hand and his keys in the other,
said Larry String-er, a deputy coroner who was at the fish fry.
"He was dead before he hit the ground," said Stringer, the first person to
get to Catron.
Less than a minute later, several people saw a man in camouflage, a rifle
strapped to his back, ride a motorcycle out of the edge of the woods along
the highway overlooking the fire station, Stringer said.
Before the man fled, he stopped briefly and looked down at the scene outside
the fire station.
"It was amazing. He stopped and looked at what he'd done," Stringer said.
When the man fled, firefighters and others went after him, and police
quickly joined the chase. Shelley was caught after wrecking.
Court records list a number of charges in recent years against a man
matching Shelley's name and date of birth, most of them minor traffic
offenses. Two misdemeanors -- one alcohol intoxication and one second-degree
assault -- were dismissed.
Members of Shelley's family met with a minister yesterday afternoon. They
said they didn't want to discuss the case, although Shelley's brother, Tony,
said, "It shocked everybody."
Shelley's father, Gorman, said he knew nothing about the case. But as to
whether it will work out well for his son, he said, "I don't see how it
can."
Pinkhouses1961
"Pinkhouses1961" <Pinkhou...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:a9g1tp$2l8qk$1...@ID-101200.news.dfncis.de...
update:
http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/news/3072338.htm
Candidate, friend held in slaying of sheriff
3 now charged in alleged assassination plot
By Bill Estep And Tom Lasseter
SOUTH-CENTRAL KENTUCKY BUREAU
SOMERSET - A political opponent of Pulaski County Sheriff Sam Catron and a
man arrested last year on drug charges took part in a scheme to assassinate
the sheriff, state police charged yesterday.
State police arrested Jeffrey A. Morris, who was running against Catron in
the May 28 Republican primary, and Kenneth "Fingers" White on charges of
complicity to commit murder.
The two allegedly conspired with Danny S. Shelley, who is charged with
shooting Catron once in the head Saturday evening outside a volunteer fire
department.
State police Capt. Paul Hays declined comment on the motive for the
shooting. To many people in Pulaski County, however, the charges mean that
one man's political ambition, and another's desire to have a friend in the
sheriff's office, led to murder.
"I think it's safe to say it's political," said Commonwealth's Attorney Eddy
Montgomery. "I think drugs factor in at some level."
All three men could face the death penalty if convicted.
Morris, 34, of Somerset, was a deputy for Catron from 1996 until last July.
He was forced out over what new Pulaski County Sheriff Jim McWhorter called
an "internal disciplinary problem."
Morris later worked for his father-in-law in the plumbing business,
McWhorter said.
Morris campaigned for sheriff on a pledge to fight drugs.
He was close to White, 54, of Tate-ville, who was charged last April with
receiving stolen property and possession of cocaine. The investigation
showed that White had previous charges of theft and trafficking in cocaine,
morphine and other drugs, the investigating officer said in a sworn
statement.
White said his income was limited to $400 a month in disability payments.
But according to court documents, an informant said he had bought OxyContin,
a prescription painkiller, and cocaine from White, and that White had a tank
of the chemical used in making methamphetamine.
The charges filed last year against White were dismissed in October. The
attorney who represented him, David Tapp, declined comment on whether that
was because White provided information to police for other cases.
After Morris filed to run for sheriff, White worked for him, putting up
signs and getting people registered to vote. They came to the courthouse
together several times to drop off registration cards, workers there said.
Shelley, 30, of rural northern Pulaski County, had signed Morris' candidate
registration form and had worked for him in the campaign.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration was investigating Shelley before
the shooting, but hadn't charged him.
The charges filed yesterday allege that as the election neared, Morris,
White and Shelley came up with a plan to eliminate the sheriff just as he
planned to step up his campaign for a fifth term.
State police declined to release many details about the case yesterday,
including whether Shelley provided information that led to the arrests of
Morris and White.
Shelley said in a court document that he was unemployed and owed $20,000 on
credit cards.
The citation against Shelley says he admitted shooting Catron with a
high-powered Remington 25.06 rifle.
Shelley allegedly hid on a wooded hillside overlooking the Shopville-Stab
Volunteer Fire Department east of Somerset, where Catron, Morris and other
candidates had been campaigning at a fish fry, and killed Catron with a shot
from about 100 yards away.
The sheriff, 48, was standing by his cruiser, getting ready to put away two
cakes he'd bought at an auction.
Several people said they saw the assassin ride away on a motorcycle, spewing
dirt and gravel. Firefighters and police officers who gave chase caught up
with him five miles away after he wrecked.
The motorcycle was registered to Morris, police said.
Shelley was arraigned yesterday, but did not come into the courtroom.
Instead, attorneys Jim Cox and Mark Stanziano entered a not guilty plea for
him.
Cox told District Judge Michael Henry he didn't want Shelley brought into
the courtroom before a bank of newspaper and television cameras because he
was trying to limit potentially prejudicial publicity in the case.
Henry scheduled a preliminary hearing for April 25.
Security was tight for the arraignment, with a metal detector at the door an
d extra police. Shelley, in an orange jail jumpsuit, was shackled and was
wearing a bulletproof vest.
Morris was arrested yesterday at 2:46 p.m. at the London state police post,
where he had gone to be questioned.
At 2:47 p.m., state police arrested White at his home south of Somerset.
Minutes before police arrived, White was sitting in front of his house in a
Jeep Grand Cherokee, which had a large "Jeff Morris for Sheriff" sticker on
the back window.
Asked whether he'd been interviewed in the case, White said, "I ain't got
nothing to say to you about that."
He then drove up the road to the Dixie Mart and bought a small pizza. State
police arrested him as he returned home to eat the pizza.
Morris, Shelley and White are being held without bond. Pulaski County Jailer
Darrell Presley said all three would be in isolation cells and under a
suicide watch as standard procedure, until they acclimate to jail.
Hays said he doesn't anticipate any other arrests in the case.
It is too late to remove Catron's name from the ballot. Yesterday, officials
were researching what to do if he wins the sheriff's race posthumously.
"I've heard a boatload of people say they're going to vote for him," said
county Clerk Willard Hansford.
The law indicates that votes for Catron won't be counted, but it does not
say what to do if he wins, Hansford said.
Yesterday, people continued to grieve over Catron's death and to pay
tribute. Many people wore yellow and brown ribbons, and deputies put new
decals on their cruisers in memory of Catron.
But they were also heartened by the arrests.
"I, at this point, am grieving on one side, extremely happy on the other
side," McWhorter said.