Father pleads guilty to using son in theft

Published 9:00 am Friday, August 11, 2017

An Estill County man was sentenced to 90 days in jail for using his juvenile son to steal from a friend’s house.

Jonathan Flinchum, 32, of Ravenna, pleaded guilty in Clark District Court Wednesday to complicity to commit theft by unlawful taking and third-degree unlawful transaction with a minor, according to court records.

A charge of intimidating a participant in a legal process was dismissed.

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Flinchum was sentenced to 90 days in jail, though 60 of those were conditionally discharged for two years.

Winchester Police were called to Dan’s Discount Pawn on West Lexington Avenue on July 20 for a disturbance between a man trying to sell a weed trimmer and and the victim of the theft.

According to court documents, Flinchum’s 14-year-old son spent the night at a friend’s house on Cook Avenue. When Flinchum picked him up that morning, he told his son to grab the weed trimmer and fishing equipment from the front porch.

The son told police he did not want to steal but his father told him toany way. Winchester Police did not charge the son because they believed the juvenile was coerced to steal by Flinchum.

About Fred Petke

Fred Petke is a reporter for The Winchester Sun, the Jessamine Journal and the State Journal. His beats include cops, courts, fire, public records, city and county government and other news. To contact Fred, email fred.petke@bluegrassnewsmedia.com or call 859-759-0051.

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