Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting - Nonprofit investigative journalism in Louisville, Kentucky

Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting (https://kycir.org/category/criminal-justice/page/2/)

Criminal Justice

Man Convicted Of Murder After Police Chase Left Two Kentucky Teens Dead

By Jacob Ryan | October 30, 2019

A jury in Hardin County this week convicted a man of two counts of murder and recommended he serve life in prison for his role in a crash last year that killed two teenagers. Shawn Welsh was being chased by three police agencies in October 2018 when he sped a stolen Chevrolet pick-up truck through a red light and collided with a Honda Accord being driven by Jacob Barber. Barber, 18, and Katarina Peeters, 17, were killed in the crash. Two other teenage passengers in the car were seriously injured, but survived. “We got justice for our kids,” said Barber’s mother, Sharon Combs, after the verdict.

Criminal Justice

New Court Ruling Could Make Expungement Unaffordable For Some Kentuckians

By Jacob Ryan | October 25, 2019

People who can’t afford to pay expungement fees might be prevented from clearing their criminal record under a recent Kentucky court ruling.

asset forfeiture

Conviction Or Not, Seized Cash Is ‘Cost of Doing Business’ In Louisville

By Jacob Ryan | September 23, 2019

Money seized through asset forfeiture provides leverage in resolving drug trafficking cases and has become an ingrained aspect of the justice system in Louisville, our investigation found.

Criminal Justice

After Clearing Backlog, Rape Kit Testing Takes Seven Months — Or Longer

By Eleanor Klibanoff | September 20, 2019

End the Backlog, a national non-profit, defines a backlog as any kits not tested within 30 days of receipt.

Criminal Justice

Lacking Sexual Assault Nurses, Some Ky. Hospitals Illegally Turn Victims Away

By Eleanor Klibanoff | September 3, 2019

Kentucky state law requires emergency rooms to perform forensic sexual assault exams on-site, but hospitals without specially trained nurses sometimes send rape victims away.

Criminal Justice

Louisville Police Expected A Grow Operation. They Found Christmas Lights.

By Jewél Jackson | August 26, 2019

Officers said thermal images showed a heat signature “indicative of cultivating marijuana” at Tyrone Evans’s house. When they returned a few days later, they did not find any physical evidence of a grow operation.

Criminal Justice

State: We Can’t Afford To Run Louisville’s Juvenile Jail

By Kate Howard | June 21, 2019

If Louisville’s detention center closes at the end of the year, Louisville youth will be sent to facilities throughout the state — an outcome that families and city officials have feared will make it harder for youth to see family and attorneys and get services.

Criminal Justice

ShotSpotter Tells Louisville Police About Gunshots, But Officers Rarely Look For Evidence

By Jacob Ryan | April 16, 2019

Officers conduct required surveys on fewer than two out of every 10 ShotSpotter calls. The calls rarely lead to an arrest. The officers typically clear ShotSpotter scenes within minutes, and they seldom find evidence of a shooting.

Criminal Justice

Proposed Budget Cuts Bring Fears About What’s Next For Louisville’s Jailed Youth

By Kate Howard | March 29, 2019

If Louisville closes its juvenile jail, it’s still unclear whether the state would open a new facility or send Louisville youth to other regional detention centers.

asset forfeiture

Law Enforcement Would Disclose More About Seized Cash, Property Under Proposed Bill

By Jacob Ryan | February 20, 2019

The proposal would bolster existing reporting requirements related to the seizing of cash and property by law enforcement, and agencies that don’t comply would lose out on money.