Child porn charges head list of Lawrence County indictments

By Lilly Adkins

BSN Associate Editor

LOUISA — The Lawrence County Grand Jury returned 30 indictments Nov. 10, including two against individuals charged with child pornography offenses.

Caleb K. Smith, 18, of Louisa, is charged with use of a minor in a sexual performance and distribution of matter portraying a sexual performance.

On March 2, Smith allegedly induced a minor under 16 years of age to engage in a sexual performance and distributed an image portraying a matter portraying the sexual performance of a minor, according to the indictment.

Phillip A. Webb, 34, of Louisa, is charged with two counts of possession or viewing of matter portraying a sexual performance by a minor and 10 counts of distribution of matter portraying a sexual performance by a minor.

The indictment says that on Sept. 7, Webb allegedly possessed and/or intentionally viewed matter that visually depicted an actual sexual performance by a minor person with knowledge of its content and distributed images portraying a matter portraying the sexual performance of a minor.

Webb is charged inb a separate indictment with possession of a handgun by a convicted felon for allegedly possessing a .40-caliber handgun on Sept. 7 after having been previously convicted of a felony.

Others named in true bills were:

• Hiram Lemaster, 42, of an unknown address, charged with first-degree possession of a controlled substance; operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol; possession of drug paraphernalia and operating on a suspended or revoked operator’s license for allegedly possessing fentanyl and syringes, and operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol or other substances and while his operator’s license was suspended or revoked on July 6.

• Allen R. Flemings, 51, of Kermit, W.Va., charged with first-degree possession of a controlled substance and giving an officer false identifying information for allegedly possessing methamphetamine and giving an officer a false name, date of birth or other biometric information on Aug. 2.

• Matthew A. Balthis, 32, of St. Louis, Mo., charged with importing heroin, operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol or drugs and possession of drug paraphernalia for allegedly transporting heroin into the commonwealth with the intent to distribute it, operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol or other substances that impair a driver’s ability to operate that motor vehicle and possessing a syringe on Oct. 5.

Balthis is charged in a second indictment along with Lisa Beamer-Balthis, 40, also from St. Louis, with importing fentanyl or fentanyl derivatives/complicity; possession of drug paraphernalia/complicity and public intoxication for allegedly, acting alone or in complicity with each other, importing heroin with the intent to sell or distribute it, possessing several syringes and being manifestly under the influence of a controlled substance or other drugs while in a public setting on Sept. 16.

• Luke B. Schaeffer, 24, of Lowmansville; Janice Maynard, 24, of an unknown address; Dylan Simpkins, 23, of Clearfield; and Austin Ross, 24, of Louisa, charged with first-degree wanton endangerment/complicity and first-degree criminal mischief/complicity for allegedly, acting alone or in complicity with each other, engaging in conduct that created a substantial danger of death or serious physical injury to another person and damaged property in Best Western of Louisa in excess of $1,000 on Sept. 19.

• Tony A. Griffith, 41, and Jeffrey Webb, 52, both of Louisa, charged with theft by unlawful taking over $1,000/complicity and first-degree criminal mischief for allegedly, acting alone or in complicity with each other, taking a 1986 Honda motorcycle owned by Pat and Peggy Dorman of Louisa, valued at approximately $6,500, and damaging property owned by them in the amount of $1,259 on Oct. 16 or 17.

• Shelly N. Hacker, 37, of Manchester, charged with first-degree possession of a controlled substance and public intoxication for allegedly possessing methamphetamine and was in a public setting manifestly under the influence of a controlled substance, or other drugs on June 12, 2020.

• Justin T. Fitzpatrick, 30, of Louisa, charged with first-degree possession of a controlled substance; tampering with physical evidence and no tail lamps for allegedly possessing heroin; destroying, removing, altering or concealing physical evidence that he believed would be used against him in an official proceeding; and operating a motor vehicle without properly operating tail lamps on Aug. 21.

• Amanda Rosser, 38, of Blaine, charged with first-degree possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia and tampering with physical evidence for allegedly possessing methamphetamine and a straw, and destroying, removing, altering or concealed physical evidence that he believed would be used against him in an official proceeding on Aug. 16.

• Jordan Lowe, 31, of Royal Oak, Mich., charged with receiving stolen property greater than $1,000, but less than $10,000, operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol/drugs, driving on a DUI-suspended license and license to be in possession for allegedly possessing a Hyundai Santa Fe with a value of $2,000 that was stolen from Michigan, operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol or other substances with a prior conviction within 10 years and without having an operator’s license in his possession on July 8.

• William W. Chafin, 33, of Louisa, charged with first-degree possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia for allegedly possessing methamphetamine and a needle on June 4.

• Casey Arthur, 31, Jonathan Young, 43, April Harper, 37, and Haley Griffith, 20, all of Louisa, charged with tampering with physical evidence/complicity for allegedly, acting alone or in complicity with each other, destroying, removing, altering, or concealing physical evidence on June 19 that they believed would be used against them in an official proceeding.

Arthur is additionally charged with first-degree fleeing/evading, first-degree wanton endangerment and failure to dim headlights for allegedly disregarding signals and commands given by Lawrence County Deputies Joe Osborne and Mason Keefer with the intent to flee and avoid or elude his arrest, engaging in conduct that created a substantial danger of death or serious physical injury to another person and operating a motor vehicle but not dimming the headlights for oncoming automobiles on June 19.

• Stacy Childers, 41, of Louisa, charged with first-degree possession of a controlled substance, possession/use drug paraphernalia, illegal possession of a legend drug, possession of marijuana, public intoxication and third-degree criminal trespass for allegedly possessing methamphetamine and a syringe, a legend drug without a prescription and marijuana, being manifestly under the influence of a controlled substance in a public setting on Aug. 2.

• Delores J. Redwine, 57, of Louisa, charged with kidnapping and first-degree criminal abuse for allegedly, with the intent of interfering with the performance or the function of the Department for Community Based Services, unlawfully restraining two children and intentionally abusing a person less than 12 years of age and causing serious physical injury to that child Aug. 16 through Aug. 21.

• Jimmy D. Maynard, 42, and Janine Perry, 46, both of Louisa, charged with first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance, less than 10 dosage units/complicity for allegedly, acting alone of in complicity with each other, possessing hydrocodone, with the intent to traffic in the drug on Nov. 6, 2020.

Maynard is additionally charged as a first-degree persistent felony offender.

• Paul W. Tipton, 33, of Sitka,,charged with two counts of criminal attempted murder of a police officer; third-degree assault of a police officer/probation officer, first-degree fleeing or evading police in a motor vehicle and first-degree criminal mischief for allegedly attempting to cause the death of Kentucky State Police Trooper Dustin Thompson and Paintsville police officer Brian Runyon by discharging a handgun at them, attempting to assault Runyon, disregarding directions to stop a motor vehicle given by Thompson, and damaging property owned and operated by the Paintsville Police Department with damages to a vehicle exceeding $1,000 on Aug. 17.

• Jamie N. McCoy, 36, and Kyle M. Harless, 32, both of Louisa, charged with third-degree burglary/complicity for allegedly, acting alone or in complicity with each other, entering and remaining in Walmart of Louisa after having been banned from the property on June 15, 2020, with the intent to commit theft on July 21.

Harless is additionally charged as a second-degree persistent felony offender.

(Editor’s note: An indictment is not an indication of guilt but a determination by a grand jury that criminal charges warrant further judicial review.)