Kentucky driver’s licensing scandal: 5 charged for allegedly illegally issuing licenses to immigrants in exchange for cash



A federal grand jury indicted several Louisville, Kentucky, residents on February 4 for their alleged involvement in illegally selling driver's licenses to immigrants.

Melissa Moorman, a former clerk at Louisville's Nia Center Licensing Branch, stated that she alerted her supervisor and the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet in October 2024 that several of her co-workers were involved in a fraudulent scheme.

'As alleged in the indictment, this fraudulent scheme involved kickbacks and bribes leading to numerous legally present, non-US citizens obtaining unlawfully issued drivers licenses.'

Moorman told WDRB in August that her colleagues sold licenses to illegal immigrants who could not otherwise legally obtain them, charging them $200 per license. She claimed they were unlawfully selling these licenses four or five times per day for at least two years at multiple driver's licensing branches across the state.

"The employees were being paid under the table," Moorman previously told WDRB. "I immediately let my supervisor know."

Moorman stated that two co-workers began using her computer login to issue licenses illegally after her supervisor instructed her to share her login information, as not all employees had their own.

Moorman claimed that fraudulent Social Security cards and birth certificates were being used to issue driver's licenses and permits to illegal immigrants who never took any driving tests. She further claimed that her co-workers' scheme skipped Homeland Security background checks.

Shortly after reporting the alleged fraud scheme, Moorman claimed, she was fired.

KYTC claimed in a court filing that Moorman was terminated "for legitimate, non-discriminatory reasons not causally related to the alleged whistleblowing activity."

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Photo by George Frey/Getty Images

A February 10 press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Kentucky unveiled criminal charges against five Louisville residents for alleged fraud and money-laundering offenses.

Donnita Wilson, 32; Aariel Matthews, 27; Lazaro Alejandro Castello Rojas, 37; Robert Danger Correa, 41; and one other individual who has not yet been arrested were charged with mail fraud, honest services mail fraud, unlawful production of identification documents, money-laundering conspiracy, and other offenses.

Wilson and Matthews previously worked at the Nia Center office, according to the indictment. Rojas and Correa did not work at any licensing agency but are accused of recruiting and escorting noncitizens to driver's license appointments at the Nia Center.

Rojas and Correa "gained the trust" of the noncitizen applicants "because they professed to know the process or even implied an association with the DMV, spoke the same language, and often had the same or similar countries of origin," the indictment read, adding that most of the applicants "were unfamiliar with processes and procedures for obtaining driver's licenses in Kentucky, and many had difficulty communicating in English."

Federal prosecutors argued that the defendants solicited illegal fees of $200-$1,500 from individuals applying for driver's licenses, promising expedited services, including avoiding lines and bypassing testing requirements.

The applicants were allegedly led to believe the process was legal, according to prosecutors.

The indictment insisted that the driver’s license applicants were legally present, non-U.S. citizens.

"This indictment represents the culmination of an investigation into a scheme by Kentucky Transportation Cabinet employees and others to illegally circumvent Kentucky's process for issuing driver's licenses, thereby issuing invalid licenses to lawfully present, non-U.S. citizens who had not first demonstrated their qualifications to drive on our roads," U.S. Attorney Kyle Bumgarner stated.

"Proper vetting of individuals seeking a driver's license is a prerequisite to ensuring the safety of Kentucky's roadways and ensuring the legitimacy of state-issued identification. As alleged in the indictment, this fraudulent scheme involved kickbacks and bribes leading to numerous legally present, non-U.S. citizens obtaining unlawfully issued drivers licenses."

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Photo by: Lindsey Nicholson/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Blaze News reached out to Kentucky Democrat Gov. Andy Beshear's office to request clarity concerning whether any of the licenses were issued to illegal immigrants or used to register to vote. The governor's office referred Blaze News to its press release, which stated that the "indictment does not involve issuing licenses to people illegally present in the country."

"During a routine review of credentials applications, KYTC officials identified a number of irregularities and revoked 1,985 credentials. KYTC immediately contacted law enforcement, which began an active criminal investigation," the press release read.

An attorney for Rojas declined to comment, citing the ongoing nature of the case.

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet and attorneys for Moorman, Wilson, Matthews, and Correa did not respond to a request for comment.

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'Blessing from God': Furry, four-legged sleuth helps officers find missing toddler



Police officers searching high and low for a missing toddler in Louisville, Kentucky, last month received an unlikely assist from a four-legged hero.

While a drone and police helicopter searched overhead for signs of the 3-year-old boy, officers with the Louisville Metro Police Department's Seventh Division canvased the neighborhood, keenly aware that time was of the essence.

'Lassie found him!'

Officer Josh Thompson indicated that a fellow officer heard tell of a report from a woman "that called in about a kid. It wasn't the same description, but it was a young kid — hit her Ring doorbell camera, ran off."

After following up with the woman, Thompson learned that the boy had ventured to the home across the street.

The front porch of that residence was flanked by packages, and there were no obvious signs of anyone being inside. So Thompson inspected the rear of the house, taking note that "there's some spots where a kid may be."

When returning to the front of the home, hoping that this time someone might answer the door, Thompson realized that he was being tailed.

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Photo by Luke Sharrett for the Washington Post via Getty Images

"There's a dog, starts walking with me," Thompson recalled. "At first, you don't know about dogs. You don't know where the dog's from, so I'm kind of being a little leery of the dog. He's barking, chirping at me a little bit, and then continues to follow me back to the front porch."

The dog was relentless, yapping at Thompson in an apparent effort to get his attention.

Bodycam footage shows Thompson gesture to the dog and say, "Let's go find him! Come on! Let's go!" Immediately, the dog spins, then begins leading the officer back toward the rear of the house.

"It led me all the way back to the back yard. At that point, I'm thinking, 'Okay, this kid's in this back yard,'" recalled Thompson.

Noticing that the back door was ajar, officers briefly checked inside the house for the child but found nothing. When the officers came out empty-handed, they were greeted again by the dog, which hurried over to a parked car.

Moments later, Thompson heard his fellow officer, who had accompanied the dog through the back yard, announce victory: "I got him!"

"The kid was in the front passenger seat, terrified," said Thompson.

With some coaching from the officers, the kid was able to unlock the door and was greeted with cheers.

"I don't think I've ever seen a happier kid in my life," said Thompson. "He jumped out of the car, bear-hugged my neck, and wouldn't let go."

In the footage, it's clear that the dog was similarly excited over the result, wagging its tail excitedly and darting its nose from officer to officer.

"Lassie found him!" says one of the officers.

Thompson suggested that in his two years patrolling the neighborhood, he had never seen the hero dog before or since.

"I don't know where the dog came from," he said. "But it was a blessing from God that day."

The LMPD stated, "Outstanding work by our officers, and a four-legged friend who reminded us that heroes come in all forms."

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Judge blasted for drastically cutting sentence of creep who sodomized, kidnapped woman — even as he cursed out judge in court



A judge in Jefferson County, Kentucky, is receiving criticism after she drastically cut the sentence of a man who was was convicted of kidnapping, robbing, and sodomizing a woman.

Rather than following a jury’s recommendation of a 65-year sentence for 24-year-old Christopher Thompson, Judge Tracy Davis instead sentenced him to 30 years behind bars, WDRB-TV reported.

'I don’t have sympathy for nobody. I don’t have sympathy for you, the victim, the victim’s family, I don’t care. Boo hoo.'

Thompson was convicted in December in connection with a 2023 attack in which prosecutors said he abducted a woman, robbed her, and sodomized her twice, the station said.

WDRB, citing court documents, reported that Thompson kidnapped the victim in her own vehicle and forced her to perform oral sex on him in a school parking lot. The station said Thompson then drove her to an ATM, robbed her, drove back to the school lot, and sodomized her at gunpoint again.

What's more, the station said Thompson during his sentencing hearing earlier this month punctuated the proceedings with repeated disruptions, profanity, and direct insults directed toward Judge Davis.

“Before we even get appearances, Mr. Thompson, I’m going to need you to be respectful,” Davis said, according to WDRB.

“I ain’t doing nothing. Eat my d**k,” Thompson responded, according to the station.

WDRB said the intensity only became more extreme moments later.

“It’s fine. OK? It’s fine,” Davis said, according to the station.

“If I could spit on you, I would,” Thompson replied, according to WDRB.

“At the end of the day, I’m the one with the pen,” Davis added, the station said, after which Thompson replied, "I don’t care."

The hearing continued into the sentencing phase despite Thompson's outbursts, and WDRB said prosecutors urged Davis to impose the jury’s recommended 65-year sentence.

Thompson didn't exactly support his own cause, as the station said he stated, “I don’t have sympathy for nobody. I don’t have sympathy for you, the victim, the victim’s family, I don’t care. Boo hoo."

Davis soon imposed a 30-year sentence, WDRB said, citing Thompson’s age and the possibility of rehabilitation.

But Thompson apparently was unmoved. The station said he interrupted by saying, "I don’t care. I don’t care."

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“Unfortunately, he fell through the cracks and ended up in this court as an 18- or 19-year-old,” Davis said, according to WDRB. “This court does not believe Mr. Thompson, if given the resources that he can get while incarcerated, is beyond being rehabilitated.”

The station said the reduced sentence has elicited criticism from Louisville Metro Council members, including Minority Caucus Chair Anthony Piagentini: “Where is the concern for the victim? Do we think she’s going to get over this in 30 years? Where is the concern for the safety of the public when he does get released from jail?”

WDRB said Piagentini also raised concerns about judicial transparency and pointed out Davis’ use of shock probation in dozens of cases since 2023: “My next step, in addition to condemning her decision, is to request for all of her shock probation cases to have the public learn about who she is releasing from the sentences that are given. That’s the minimum I can do for the electorate of this community, so that they can ... understand the decisions that she’s making.”

According to the U.S. Justice Department, "shock probation" provides a short prison time — between 30 to 180 days — for a convicted felon after which the remainder of the sentence is served on probation "in the community." The justice department notes that corrections and probation personnel view shock probation as having a future deterrent effect on criminal behavior, and lawyers view it as a level in plea bargaining.

Louisville’s Chief Prosecutor — Commonwealth’s Attorney Gerina D. Whethers — said in a statement that her office is "disappointed" by the reduced sentence, WDRB noted.

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Commonwealth’s Attorney Gerina D. Whethers; image source: Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney, Jefferson County, Ky.

“Due to the defendant’s actions and inappropriate outbursts in court, the jury recommended a sentence of 65 years in prison. While we recognize that the court has discretion in the final sentence, we are disappointed that the court deviated from the sentence for less than half of what the jury of his peers determined was appropriate for this dangerous defendant," Whethers said, according to the station. "The jury’s recommendation was the most appropriate outcome in this case."

WDRB said Whethers added that "our pursuit of justice is unwavering. As prosecutors, our responsibility is to take to trial and present before the jury cases like these, where dangerous individuals pose a severe threat to the community and, as a result, need to be removed from it for as long as possible."

The station noted that Judge Davis imposed an additional sentence of more than four years for Thompson's statements in court and that he must serve that time before his 30-year sentence commences.

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Female accused of trashing Little Caesars store, causing over $1,000 in damages — after being told extra sauce would cost $1



A female is accused of trashing a Little Caesars pizza place in Louisville, Kentucky, and causing $1,000 in damages, after a store employee informed her that extra sauce would cost $1, WDRB-TV reported.

Breanna Haynes placed the phone order, then traveled to Little Caesars to pick it up, the station said, citing court documents.

'Can't afford a buck for sauce? Maybe you shouldn't be buying pizza then.'

However, when Haynes asked for extra sauce with her order, an employee told her that would run her an extra dollar, WDRB reported.

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Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images

More from the station:

Police said Haynes "created a disturbance in the store" and began knocking things off of the counter, including a custom-made computer stand and the computer register — which totaled over $1,000 in damages.

Haynes left the store, but employees were able to provide Louisville police with her name after comparing video surveillance with a known picture.

Haynes was charged with criminal mischief in connection with the January incident, but she wasn't arrested until late last month, WDRB said.

Haynes on Sept. 22 allegedly threw a brick at a car belonging to the father of her child because he wanted to move back to Cincinnati, the station said, citing court documents.

Police said Haynes' alleged brick-throwing caused more than $1,000 in damages, and she was charged with assault and criminal mischief, WDRB reported.

Numerous commenters on the station's Facebook post about the incident reacted incredulously to it:

  • "That must be some good sauce!" one commenter wrote.
  • "I guess she’d rather pay $1,000 plus lawyers instead of just giving up the dollar," another commenter observed. "Smh, wish I had that kind of money."
  • "Stay home if you don't know how to behave in public," another commenter advised.
  • "Can't afford a buck for sauce?" another commenter noted. "Maybe you shouldn't be buying pizza then."

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Cops make arrest after grandmother is groped on her front porch in broad daylight. Suspect is a young teen.



Blaze News last week reported on a disturbing incident in Louisville, Kentucky, involving a grandmother who was alone on her porch in the middle of the day when her home surveillance camera captured a young male getting off his bike, walking up her driveway, and approaching her on the porch of her home.

As WLKY-TV reported, the male asks 78-year-old Jan Fletcher, "Is somebody in there? I don't want to wake them. Is somebody in there?"

'I want an apology for him doing it.'

Fletcher responds, "Yeah. Why?"

The station said the male was asking for directions to a well-known neighborhood park. But then the male got all the way onto the porch, walked behind Fletcher, and acted as though he was dusting something off her rear end.

But WLKY said the male soon repeatedly and violently groped Fletcher until she was able to stop him.

“I was so mad that it happened,” Fletcher recalled to the station during an on-camera interview. “I was thinking, 'What could I have done different?' But I don't know what I could have done differently.”

Her granddaughter Jessica Powell-Page was understandably horrified and told WLKY that "she didn't deserve that" and that the incident was "unacceptable.”

Well, Louisville Metro Police Department said police arrested a 13-year-old male Friday in connection with the incident and charged him with third-degree sexual abuse, WLKY said in a follow-up story.

Police said the male doesn't live in the neighborhood where the incident occurred, the station added.

Despite the disturbing encounter, Fletcher noted to WLKY in its initial report that she's lived in her neighborhood for 55 years and has felt safe — and that she's not going anywhere.

“I've been asked if I'm afraid to sit here on my porch, and I’m not,” she noted to the station defiantly. “I want him to know you're not scaring me. Absolutely not. So every day that it's nice weather, I will be on my porch.”

Following the arrest, Fletcher told WLKY, "I want an apology for him doing it."

"I really hate that these young people are out here doing stuff. I hate it; it's sad. ... What enjoyment do they get out of doing stuff? I don't understand it," Fletcher added to the station.

Louisville police told WLKY that "the elderly are often the victims of scams, harassment, and home invasion, which often start with suspicious questions at the door." Police also offered the following tips, the station said.

Trust your instincts. If a person or situation makes you feel uneasy, trust your gut feeling. Acknowledge the potential threat and take action to stay safe.
Take note of your surroundings. Pay attention to potential hiding spots for an attacker, such as alleys, doorways, large bushes, or between parked vans. When walking past these areas, give them a wide berth.
Look for warning signs. Stay alert for suspicious behaviors, like someone following you on foot or in a vehicle. If you notice this, change directions, cross the street, or enter a business to signal that you have noticed them.

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Video: Grandmother is alone on her front porch during day when male comes up, asks for directions. That's not what he wants.



Jan Fletcher, 78, was alone during the day recently when her home surveillance camera captured a young male getting off his bike, walking up her driveway, and approaching her on the porch of her south Louisville home, WLKY-TV reported.

The male asks Fletcher, "Is somebody in there? I don't want to wake them. Is somebody in there?"

Fletcher responds, "Yeah. Why?"

'She didn't deserve that.'

The station said the male was asking for directions to a well-known neighborhood park. But then he got all the way on the porch, walked behind Fletcher, and acted as though he was dusting something off her rear end.

But the situation grew scarier.

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WLKY said the male repeatedly and violently groped Fletcher until she was able to stop him.

“I was so mad that it happened,” Fletcher recalled to the station during an on-camera interview. “I was thinking, 'What could I have done different?' But I don't know what I could have done differently.”

Her granddaughter Jessica Powell-Page was understandably horrified and told WLKY that "she didn't deserve that" and that the incident was "unacceptable.”

Louisville police told the station they're investigating the incident but haven't yet identified the male.

Despite the disturbing encounter, Fletcher noted to WLKY that she's lived in her neighborhood for 55 years and has felt safe — and that she's not going anywhere.

“I've been asked if I'm afraid to sit here on my porch, and I’m not,” she noted to the station defiantly. “I want him to know you're not scaring me. Absolutely not. So every day that it's nice weather, I will be on my porch.”

Louisville police told WLKY that "the elderly are often the victims of scams, harassment, and home invasion, which often start with suspicious questions at the door." Police also offered the following tips, the station said:

Trust your instincts. If a person or situation makes you feel uneasy, trust your gut feeling. Acknowledge the potential threat and take action to stay safe.
Take note of your surroundings. Pay attention to potential hiding spots for an attacker, such as alleys, doorways, large bushes, or between parked vans. When walking past these areas, give them a wide berth.
Look for warning signs. Stay alert for suspicious behaviors, like someone following you on foot or in a vehicle. If you notice this, change directions, cross the street, or enter a business to signal that you have noticed them.

WLKY added that those with information regarding the incident can offer anonymous tips at 502-574-5673.

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Doctor fired for speaking out against child sex changes wins big settlement against University of Louisville



University of Louisville officials have agreed to pay nearly $1.6 million to settle their case with Dr. Allan Josephson, the professor whom the university demoted, then canned for speaking out against child sex changes, after 15 years of distinguished service.

"I'm glad to finally receive vindication for voicing what I know is true," Josephson said in a statement Monday.

Gender ideology and the sex-change regime it gave rise to in the West have suffered a series of mortal blows in recent years.

The practice of so-called gender-affirming care has been outed as ruinous pseudo-science; practitioners have been damned by their own words as freewheeling mutilators; and LGBT activists' narrative in support of sex changes has collapsed in the face of mounting contradictory evidence. Meanwhile, across the country and beyond, lawmakers have passed legislation and policy affirming the meaningful and immutable distinction between men and women, preventing the invasion by men of women's spaces, and protecting children from sex-change procedures.

While popular opinion is now unmistakably against gender ideology and the corresponding medicalization of children, those who stood their ground against the sex-change regime in recent years often did so at great reputational and professional risk. Dr. Allan Josephson found this out the hard way.

'Runs counter to the messages of inclusion and welcome that we have been sending.'

Josephson, a psychiatrist, joined the University of Louisville School of Medicine in 2003, where he led the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychology without incident until Josephson spoke on a Heritage Foundation panel in October 2017 titled "Gender Dysphoria in Children: Understanding the Science and the Medicine."

Josephson — who previously expressed concerns over the medical procedures to which children experiencing so-called gender dysphoria were being subjected — explained:

Gender dysphoria is a socio-cultural, psychological phenomenon that cannot be fully addressed with drugs and surgery. Thus, doctors and others should explore what causes this confusion and help the child learn how to meet this developmental challenge.

According to court documents, the psychiatrist's opinion apparently did not sit well with Brian Buford, the director of the university's LGBT executive center, who contacted the medical school's then-dean Toni Ganzel, suggesting that Josephson "might be violating the ethical standards for psychiatry" and drawing unwanted national attention for an opinion that "puts our reputation at risk and runs counter to the messages of inclusion and welcome that we have been sending."

Ganzel, in turn, noted that Josephson's remarks did not "reflect the culture" that the school was "trying so hard to promote," said court documents.

The concern-mongering over Josephson's perceived "highly conservative position" quickly snowballed. The doctor's colleagues began hectoring him about his remarks, and by the end of the November 2017, they were pressuring him to resign as division chief for daring to express an opinion out of line with the new orthodoxy.

Under mounting pressure, Josephson agreed to resign as division head effective early December 2017. This did not, however, satisfy the ideologues in his midst who were apparently keen on institutional uniformity of vision on this issue.

Court documents indicate that officials in the school's LGBT executive center as well as Josephson's division colleagues plotted to undermine him, partly by challenging his "inductive reasoning as unscientific and ask how much he's earned as an expert witness over the last two years on sexuality issues."

'Public universities have no business punishing professors simply because they hold different views.'

Josephson was told not to treat non-straight patients and apparently surveilled, with his conduct detailed on what one division official dubbed an "Allan tracking document." Those colleagues who took issue with his remarks also criticized Josephson's work performance and productivity.

By February 2019, it became clear that the school had decided not to renew the doctor's contract. Shortly thereafter, Josephson filed suit against several university officials, alleging First Amendment retaliation.

The university fought the case all the way up to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, which ruled in September that:

  • Josephson's speech was constitutionally protected, as it addressed a matter of public concern;
  • the university officials failed to demonstrate that Josephson's "remarks had a significant disruptive effect on the Medical School's operations"; and
  • a reasonable jury could find that each of the defendants "retaliated against Josephson because he engaged in speech protected by the First Amendment."

Apparently aware they were fighting a losing battle, university officials apparently agreed to pay nearly $1.6 million in damages and attorney fee to settle the lawsuit.

"After several years, free speech and common sense have scored a major victory on college campuses," said Travis Barham, senior counsel at Alliance Defending Freedom, the group that represented Josephson.

"As early as 2014, Dr. Josephson saw the truth behind dangerous procedures that activists were pushing on children struggling with their sex," continued Barham. "He risked his livelihood and reputation to speak the truth boldly, and the university punished him for expressing his opinion — ultimately by dismissing him. But public universities have no business punishing professors simply because they hold different views."

"Hopefully, other public universities will learn from this that if they violate the First Amendment, they can be held accountable, and it can be very expensive," added Barham.

Josephson stated, "Children deserve better than life-altering procedures that mutilate their bodies and destroy their ability to lead fulfilling lives. In spite of the circumstances I suffered through with my university, I'm overwhelmed to see that my case helped lead the way for other medical practitioners to see the universal truth that altering biological sex is impossibly dangerous, while acceptance of one's sex leads to flourishing."

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Louisville officer shot in Breonna Taylor raid shares the UNTOLD story



Breonna Taylor became a symbol of the Black Lives Matter movement when she was shot and killed by Louisville police — but the narrative surrounding her death has done a 180.

Years later, those who jumped to demonize the police have been proven wrong after a judge ruled that Taylor’s boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, was the individual whose actions led to her death, not the Louisville police.

But that didn’t stop the cops present on the scene from being smeared by celebrities, politicians, the media, and activists.

This is why Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly is telling Jason Whitlock of “Fearless” — who calls the outrage following Taylor’s death a “racial hoax” — what really happened on Friday, March 13, 2020.

That night, Mattingly was serving a warrant in a drug investigation — and was initially lauded as a hero for his actions.

“Something happened, and I’m not sure when it took place, but it was fairly quickly,” Mattingly tells Whitlock. After the shooting, Mattingly was in surgery to repair his femoral artery, which was severed when he was shot by Walker.

“That night we went, and they said knock and announce, because Jamarcus Glover, he’s not at this location,” Mattingly explains. “So I said, ‘That’s fine.’ They said, matter of fact, she’s a heavy-set black female, give her extra time to come to the door.”

“After about a minute, no answer, my lieutenant says, ‘Go ahead, and hit the door.’ The breacher hits the door, when it comes open, I’m standing on the left of it. He’s on the right of it,” Mattingly continues, noting that the situation inside was strange.

“Normally people are giving up, they’re hiding, or they’re running. There’s never two people down a hall just in wait, and by the time my mind’s registering this, and I get my gun around to them, I see the tip of Kenneth Walker’s silver gun, and it’s too late.”

“Boom, shots fired, I feel the impact on my leg, I return four rounds and get behind the door. He dives into a room as soon as he shoots and leaves Breonna in the hallway. She attempts to follow him in the room ‘cause her feet crossed the threshold of the door, where she then fell back,” he explains.

“So she ran into the line of fire, chasing this guy who had abandoned her in the hallway,” he adds.


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'She was just praying': Driver miraculously rescued as semi-truck dangles off bridge over Ohio River



Kentucky firefighters made a death-defying rescue of a truck driver who had veered off the Clark Memorial Bridge due to an accident, causing the cab of the semi-truck to dangle off the bridge over the water.

A Louisville firefighting crew made the rescue of a Sysco truck driver as the vehicle hung over the Ohio River. The truck crashed through the bridge's guardrail and was wedged between two steel beams that were thankfully secure enough to hold the truck in place for more than half an hour.

The truck reportedly crossed a traffic lane, Fox News noted, with firefighting officials stating that two other vehicles had been involved in the accident.

Dramatic video was captured from multiple angles as a rescue worker was lowered down on a harness to the truck driver, still in the driver's seat, as the semi was suspended some 70 feet above the water.

\ud83d\udea8#UPDATE: Additional footage from a different angle reveals the truck left dangling hundreds of feet above the Ohio River. As First responders successfully rescued the semi-truck driver.
— (@)

"This is a once-in-a-career type of thing," Louisville Fire Chief Brian O'Neill told reporters in a video posted by WLKY. "[It was] a pretty serious wreck that included two vehicles plus the semi. The two vehicles were in pretty bad shape, the semi was dangling off the edge of the second-street bridge," O'Neill added.

One crash victim was escorted to hospital immediately, fire officials stated, and the only other hospitalized person from the incident was the truck driver, for precautionary reasons.

Fire Chief O'Neill explained that it took his crew about 40 minutes to set up a rope system and rappel down to the driver.

"She was just praying, she was praying a lot, so I prayed with her," said Bryce Carden, the firefighter who made the rescue.

Watch the latest video at foxnews.com

Sysco, a food distribution company, released remarks in regard to the incident.

"Sysco is enormously grateful to rescue services and law enforcement who quickly and safely resolved the accident on the Clark Memorial Bridge today," a spokesperson told Fox News. "We are thankful our Sysco colleague is safe and thank the first responders for their courageous efforts rescuing our driver. Safety is a priority at Sysco, and we are cooperating with the law enforcement investigation."

Early reports have been unclear as to how or why the truck crossed lanes before crashing through the guardrails. The bridge is closed at the time of this publication and repairs will need to be made to the bridge's structure.

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Teacher of the Year says he was reassigned for 3 months after 'too harshly' stopping 2 male students from attacking female



Kumar Rashad — who was named the Kentucky Department of Education's Teacher of the Year in September — told WDRB-TV that in October he was reassigned for three months after "too harshly" stopping two male students from attacking a female student.

What are the details?

A math teacher in Louisville's Breckinridge Metropolitan High School, Rashad told the station after the incident officials reassigned him to "non-instructional duties" at the Special Needs East Bus Compound.

WDRB said Jefferson County Public Schools wouldn't say why Rashad was reassigned — but he gave his side of the story Thursday, one day before he began resuming his teaching duties.

"I saw two males attack a female, and I went to the female's rescue, and I removed the two students off of that female," Rashad told the station. "The two students said I removed them too harshly."

Rashad noted to WLKY-TV that the two male students complained about him to the powers that be.

He was not about to apologize, however, telling WLKY: "Please understand, in the community, in school, anywhere I am going, I will never allow a lady to be attacked by a male."

Rashad noted to WDRB that what happened to him "shines a light on problems in the district" — one of them being that "many educators" are "reassigned for frivolous reasons."

Rashad added to WDRB that the investigation is over, and he was cleared to return Friday to the classroom — which the school district confirmed.

He also noted to WDRB that investigations must be completed more swiftly.

WDRB added that Rashad also briefly served as a Louisville Metro Council member, representing District 3.

Kentucky's 2024 Teacher of the Year reinstated by JCPS, says he was reassigned for breaking up fight youtu.be

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