Grand jury indicts kidnapping suspects 

Published 3:04 pm Monday, January 23, 2017

Two Powell County residents were indicted for kidnapping and second-degree robbery for an incident at Dollar General store on West Lexington Avenue in Winchester.

James Mahan, 34, and Charlotte Smith, 29, were indicted by the Clark County Grand Jury Thursday.

According to court documents, the pair were inside the store when employees saw them placing items in a large bag.

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An unidentified employee followed them outside the store.

When he confronted the suspects, Mahan allegedly started punching the employee while Smith got in the driver’s seat of a car. She reportedly started driving with Mahan and the employee in the car.

According to the arrest warrant, Smith said they would take the employee to her brother’s house and kill him. The employee escaped by opening the car door when it slowed on Lexington Avenue. The car continued. The victim was treated and released from Clark Regional Medical Center.

Mahan was also indicted for persistent felony offenses.

The grand jury also indicted a Winchester man charged with stealing a pickup truck and leading police on a pursuit.

William Benningfield, 28, of 250 Mutual Ave., pleaded guilty to a charge of facilitation to theft of a motor vehicle in December and was sentenced to serve 90 days.

He was indicted for first-degree fleeing and evading police, first-degree criminal mischief, possession of an open container in a vehicle, no brake lights, operating on a suspended or revoked license, no insurance, first-degree wanton endangerment and second-degree persistent felony offender.

Benningfield about a month after the Nov. 5 incident when Winchester Police stopped a Chevrolet Colorado for a suspected intoxicated driver around 3 a.m. Officers stopped the truck, but Benningfield, who was driving, sped off while police confirmed ownership of the truck.

Officers followed but lost sight of the truck until finding the wreckage at the intersection of Colby Road and Harkins Drive.

Benningfield had lost control of the truck, hit a concrete structure around a fire hydrant and then hit a utility pole. Police said the truck’s cab and bed were separated in the crash, and Benningfield was ejected. He was transported to the University of Kentucky Medical Center with injuries, and police waited to file charges until he was released from the hospital.

The truck was reported stolen about an hour after the pursuit and crash.

The following indictments were also returned by the Clark County grand jury Thursday.

— Lee Johnson, first-degree fleeing or evading police, operating a motor vehicle under the influence of drugs or alcohol, third-degree assault, first-degree wanton endangerment, second-degree persistent felony offender.

— Cameron Barnard, receiving stolen property firearm (two counts), possession of drug paraphernalia, theft by deception under $500.

— Clinton Price, first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance less than four grams of cocaine (two counts).

— Jonathan Price, manufacturing methamphetamine, trafficking in a controlled substance.

— Ricky Napier, theft by unlawful taking under $500.

— Daniel Bakovic, theft by unlawful taking auto over $10,000.

— Wesley Hull, second-degree robbery, second-degree persistent felony offender, flagrant non-support.

— Amanda Clem, flagrant non-support.

— David G. Campbell, flagrant non-support, first-degree persistent felony offender.

About Whitney Leggett

Whitney Leggett is managing editor of The Winchester Sun and Winchester Living magazine. To contact her, email whitney.leggett@winchestersun.com or call 859-759-0049.

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