Joe P. Asher
Staff Writer
The Harlan County Sheriff’s Office arrested two Loyall residents on indictment warrants on Sunday on charges alleging assault of an infant.
James Lawson, 38, was charged with first-degree assault resulting from alleged activities that occurred over a two month period beginning in March.
According to the indictment, on or about March 8 until about May 7, Lawson “intentionally caused serious physical injury to a child by means of a dangerous instrument under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to the value of human life.”
Mary Fleenor, 19, is accused of allegedly aiding Lawson to intentionally cause serious physical injury to a child. The indictment states Fleenor counseled or aided Lawson when he “wantonly engaged in conduct which created a grave risk of death to another and thereby caused serious physical injury to a child.”
Fleenor was charged with first-degree complicity to assault.
The indictments against Lawson and Fleenor were handed down by the grand jury on Sept. 17. after the case investigated and presented by Kentucky State Police Det. Kenny Abner.
Harlan County sheriff’s deputies Danny Lewis and Dee Dee Ulbrich arrested the pair at their residence on Sunday.
Lawson was lodged in the Harlan County Detention Center on a $20,000 bond. Fleenor was lodged in the Harlan County Detention Center with bond was set at $10,000.
In other police activity:
* The Harlan County Sheriff’s Office arrested Ricky Hobbs, 36, of Mary Alice on Sunday on charges of tampering with physical evidence and second-degree possession of a controlled substance. Deputy Mitch Alford said Hobbs was a passenger in a car that came by a safety checkpoint at Mary Alice. Hobbs allegedly attempted to swallow a Suboxone strip before placing it under his seat in an attempt to conceal it. Hobbs was lodged in the Harlan County Detention Center;
* Brian Howard, 53, of Loyall, was arrested by Loyall police officer Denny Jones on Saturday on charges of first-degree trafficking a controlled substance, trafficking marijuana less than 8 ounces and prescription controlled substance not in original container. Howard was lodged in the Harlan County Detention center on a $5,000 bond;
* Jim Gilbert, 25, of Baxter, was arrested by the Kentucky State Police Kenneth Sergent on Sunday on a charge of receiving stolen property. Gilbert was lodged in the Harlan County Detention Center on a $5,000 bond.
Reach Joe P. Asher at 606-573-4510 or jasher@heartlandpublications.com



















