Latest news with #DaviessCounty
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Vehicle fire breaks out in Daviess County
HENDERSON, Ky. (WEHT) — Crews responded to a vehicle fire on Interstate 165 In Daviess County. Officials with the Daviess County's Fire Department say crews responded to the fire around 7:23 p.m. on Sunday. Upon arrival a passenger car was found to be fully involved. Officials say the fire was quickly put out. No injuries were reported. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Disaster Recovery Center in Daviess County closes temporarily
HENDERSON, Ky (WEHT) – The Disaster Recovery Center in Daviess County is closing temporarily starting Sunday. The center location was at 159 Highway 1554 in Stanley. FEMA officials state the center will remain closed until further notice. No reason for the closure was given. For more information about flooding recovery in Kentucky, click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Property assessments up 7.5% in Daviess
Inflation is causing property assessments in Daviess County to soar. Rachel Pence Foster, Daviess County's property valuation administrator, says property assessments are up 7.5% this year. That's the sixth straight year that assessments have grown by 5% or more. And the most one-year increase in decades. If nothing changes, city and county governments and school districts will get an increase in the amount of taxes collected without raising their rates. And home owners will pay more in taxes. PVAs are required to assess property at its fair-market valued. They do not set tax rates. The county is divided into four quarters and one quarter has its property reassessed each year. This year, it was the area south of Parrish Avenue and east of Frederica St. Foster said homes in that area may have seen an increase of 10%, 22%, 35% or more. 'This new assessment was an increase over a four-year period and the numbers in this article are for the entire county as a whole for one year,' she said. 'Three-fourths of the county and city was not in the re-assessment area. The increases also include all new home sales.' When property is sold, it is reassessed at the sale price. And new buildings are assessed when they are completed. In dollar terms, assessments this year increased by $594 million. That's up from $436.28 million last year. The total value of all taxable property in Daviess County is now $8.5 billion. That's up from $7.89 billion last year. Realtors say the problem is a shortage of homes on the market for the past five or more years. Supply and demand means houses will sell for more money with demand for them rising. Residential property up 8.1%Foster said residential property values were up 8.1% or $412.9 million to a total of $5.5 billion. Last year, it increased by $320.99 million. Foster said the value of commercial property was up $151.5 million — 6.9% — to $2.3 billion. Last year, it was up $33.7 million. And the value of agricultural property was up $29.7 million or 5.2% to a total of $600.7 billion. Last year, it was up $81.57 million. The number of $1 million — or more — homes continues to climb. In 2021, there were only six. Last year, there were 11. And this year, Foster said, there are 19. That's just the homes, not any land other than yards. Kentucky allows people who are 65 and older or disabled to lower the assessed value of their homes by $49,100 under the Homestead Exemption Act. The amount increases every two years. Foster said this year there are 11,023 homes that have qualified for the exemption — up from 10,820 last year. That breaks down as 10,207 for age and 816 for disability. Foster said the exemption lowered the value of those homes by $534.9 million. That's up from $495.8 million last year. Government buildings, churches and certain nonprofits don't pay taxes. That took $1.75 billion off the tax rolls — down from $1.78 billion last year. People can check their assessments — and their neighbor's — on the PVA's website — The site also has a tax calculator that lets people see roughly what their property taxes will be this year — if the rates don't change.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Lawsuit pending against indicted former OPD officer
A former Owensboro Police Department officer who was indicted last year for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman is being sued by the alleged victim in Daviess Circuit Court. The suit was filed by 'Jane Doe,' who is only identified by her initials in the complaint, against former OPD officer Aleph Zavala and against OPD Chief Art Ealum. The lawsuit is currently winding its way through circuit court, with the last ruling occurring last month. The civil lawsuit is the second case Zavala faces. Zavala was indicted on charges of first-degree sodomy, first-degree strangulation and first-degree sexual abuse in connection with a Dec. 8, 2023 incident, where Zavala allegedly assaulted the woman, who was homeless, while she was staying overnight in a storage unit on West Parrish Avenue. The incident allegedly occurred after officers were called to the U-Haul storage facility to reports of a possible burglary. Reports regarding the incident say officers decided to let Jane Doe stay in the storage unit overnight. All of the officers left, except Zavala, who went back inside the unit and allegedly performed a sex act on the woman, attempted to get her to perform a sex act and choked her during the incident. Zavala's body camera was not in use during the time of the alleged incident. Zavala was fired by OPD in February of last year, after an investigation by the department's Professional Standards Unit. Zavala was indicted on the charges in May of last year. Zavala is currently scheduled to go to trial on the charges on Sept. 15. Zavala, who is out of jail on house arrest after posting a $10,000 bond, will next appear in court for a pretrial hearing in August. The complaint names both Zavala and Ealum in their official capacities with OPD. The complaint says the criminal charges against Zavala 'highlight the serious nature of the offenses against' Jane Doe, and also says the incident calls OPD into question. 'The incident also calls attention to the systemic failures within the Owensboro Police Department, specifically the failure to train and supervise on the part of (Ealum),' the complaint says. 'Such deliberate indifference in oversight and training directly contributed to the sexual assault of the plaintiff.' The complaint seeks compensation against Zavala for battery, negligence and gross negligence, and for 'failure to train and supervise' Zavala against Ealum. The complaint seeks compensation for physical and emotional injuries and punitive damages. The city is not representing Zavala in the civil suit, but did file a response regarding him because Zavala was being sued in his official capacity as a then-police officer. In the response, attorney Patrick Pace says while Zavala was working as an OPD officer on Dec. 8, 2023, the city 'expressly denies that Zavala was acting under color of law and within the scope of his employment with OPD during said incident.' Regarding the incident in the storage unit, the city's response says it admits Zavala went back inside the unit with his body camera off and and without informing dispatch, but says 'the city is without knowledge or information to form a belief as to the truth of the allegations' of the incident, 'and therefore denies same.' Regarding Ealum being named in the suit, Pace wrote in his response, 'The city denies the premise of the allegations ... and expressly denies that the alleged 'said failure to train and supervise his officers' occurred.' Pace wrote the city admits 'Zavala violated some OPD rules and standard operating procedures, but (the city) expressly denies that Zavala was acting within the scope of his employment' during the alleged incident. Zavala also filed a response through his attorney, Mary Sharp. Sharp wrote Zavala 'denies any allegations of misconduct as stated' in the complaint. Regarding the alleged incident, Sharp wrote Zavala 'maintains that no non-consensual actions occurred.' Sharp asked that the complaint against Zavala be dismissed with prejudice, which would bar the complaint from ever being raised in court again. The last action in the case was in April, when Daviess Circuit Judge David Payne denied Jane Doe's motion for summary judgment against Zavala. There are currently no hearings scheduled in the civil case.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Sheriff charges 5 in alleged adult exploitation case
The Daviess County Sheriff's Office (DCSO) charged five people Friday in what it's calling an adult exploitation case. The suspects who have been charged are Jessie A. Hoge, 34, Patricia K. Hoge, 54, Crystal Starr Hoge, 41, Brittany Jo Gray, 28, and Damien Moak, 35, all of Philpot. According to the DCSO report, detectives, patrol deputies, and animal control officers executed search warrants on Friday in the 5200 block of Pleasant Valley Road as part of an adult exploitation investigation. During the search of the residence, detectives seized evidence and detained multiple suspects who were taken to DCSO to be interviewed prior to being charged and lodged at the Daviess County Detention Center. According to the report, the investigation began in April following the death of an adult male who had been residing at the Pleasant Valley Road residence with the suspects. Prior to being moved to the suspects' residence, the victim lived in the 2100 block of Fieldcrest Drive in Owensboro in a home that he owned. The report said several of his neighbors had grown concerned about suspicious activity at his residence including unknown persons entering and exiting his residence in the weeks preceding his sudden move and subsequent death and reported their concerns to law enforcement. The report said deputy Tommy Ferry began investigating the reports, and eventually the case was assigned to Det. Matt Fitzgerald of the DCSO Criminal Investigations Division. According to the report, several legal documents, including a will and property deeds, had been allegedly forged by the suspects and that one of the suspects had moved into the Fieldcrest home with the victim and eventually facilitated moving the victim — though he still owned the Fieldcrest Drive home — to the suspects' house on Pleasant Valley Road days before the victim's death. According to the report, sheriff's investigators have located more than $20,000 worth of the victim's property at area pawn shops, and are continuing to investigate several fraudulent bank transactions as well as items missing from the victim's safety deposit box. Many items belonging to the victim were located at the suspect's residence on Pleasant Valley Road including several firearms and a Mercedes vehicle, though due to health reasons he was no longer able to drive prior to his passing. Along with DCSO, the report said the investigation has been closely coordinated with the Daviess County Commonwealth's Attorney Office and the Department of Community Based Services (DCBS). 'DCSO would like these arrests to serve as a warning to those in our community who would prey on the most vulnerable members or society,' said Sheriff Brad Youngman in a written statement. 'What they did was very wrong. If you have elderly or infirmed people in your family or neighborhood, please keep an eye on them to ensure they don't fall victim to this type of criminal activity. While I wish we could have intervened sooner, it is my hope that the actions of my deputies and detectives can still bring justice to this victim and his family. Thank you to the victim's neighbors who saw something that didn't look right and reported it to law enforcement. Without their involvement we may never have uncovered these crimes.' Jessie A. Hoge has been charged with second-degree forgery, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, knowingly exploiting an adult by person over $300, receiving stolen property $1,000 to $10,000 and second-degree cruelty to animals. Patricia K. Hoge has been charged with possession of marijuana (firearm enhanced), possession of drug paraphernalia buy/possess (firearm enhanced) and endangering the welfare of a minor. Crystal Starr Hoge has been charged with possession of marijuana (firearm enhanced) possession of drug paraphernalia buy/possess (firearm enhanced) and endangering the welfare of a minor. Gray was charged with secondary-degree forgery and second-degree animal cruelty. Moak was charged with endangering the welfare of a minor (cited into court). The report said additional charges are anticipated as the investigation continues. Due to unacceptable living conditions in the residence including uninhibited access to drugs and firearms, DCBS Child Protective Services were called to the scene to assist with and remove two children living in the home. DCSO animal control officers assisted in the execution of the search warrant and removed several animals from the property due to evidence of neglect and poor living conditions.
