KyCIR In 2019: Our Year In Investigations
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In 2019, the KyCIR team broke news on politics, horse racing, criminal justice and more. Take a look back with us at some of the year’s biggest and most impactful investigations.
Criminal Justice
For Louisville Offenders And Victims Alike, A New Label: ‘Public Nuisance’
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Louisville’s public nuisance ordinance is intended to provide a way to bust up drug houses and crime dens. But police and code enforcement officials have been increasingly focused on residential locations where crimes are reported — regardless of whether the victim or the offender lives there.
Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer ‘Confident’ In LMPD Rape Investigations
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KyCIR’s investigation found rape cases in Louisville are sometimes rejected by a prosecutor and “cleared by exception” before much investigating.
season one
Prosecution Declined
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LMPD asks prosecutors to review their rape cases and decide whether they should make an arrest. More often than not, the prosecutors say no.
Politics
Beshear’s Transition Team Has Familiar Names, Longtime Donors To Family
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Kentucky Gov.-elect Andy Beshear’s transition team will help craft his administration, and he’s stacked it with well-connected bureaucrats, legislators and longtime supporters of the Beshear family’s political campaigns.
Transition team members donated at least $358,000 to Beshear since his run for attorney general in 2015, according to state campaign finance records. About 80 percent of the 163 team members have donated to Beshear, either in this race against incumbent Gov. Matt Bevin or his 2015 campaign. At least 16 currently work for Andy Beshear as employees of the Office of the Attorney General. At least 70 members of the transition team have also been supporters of former governor Steve Beshear, Andy Beshear’s father.
Man Convicted Of Murder After Police Chase Left Two Kentucky Teens Dead
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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.
Education
Florida Fired Him. Now, He’s U of L’s Title IX Coordinator
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A U of L spokesperson said they knew David Parrott had been fired at his previous job for improper financial administration but he received “glowing” references.
Government
After Rare Enforcement Action, Fixes Underway at Problem Kentucky Dam
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The Loch Mary dam was featured in a recent KyCIR investigation which found dozens of dangerous dams with no emergency action plan.
asset forfeiture
Conviction Or Not, Seized Cash Is ‘Cost of Doing Business’ In Louisville
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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
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End the Backlog, a national non-profit, defines a backlog as any kits not tested within 30 days of receipt.