News from December
16, 2004 issue
Police
solve bank robberies
Suspect
shoots himself
Other than some minor brushes with the law in Lyon and Livingston
counties, the man who robbed Farmers Bank in Salem last week did
not have much of a criminal past.
Police say the man who robbed Farmers Bank killed himself Tuesday
afternoon after being chased by troopers on I-24 following another
bank robbery in Livingston County.
Norman Anthony "Tony" Springs, 39, of Salem shot himself
in the head after state police stopped the black Pontiac Trans-Am
in which he was riding. The driver, Bobbie J. Vaughn, 30, of Paducah
was reportedly driving the getaway vehicle after Springs robbed
BB&T Bank in Lake City at 3:53 p.m.
Ironically, authorities in Paducah were at the time of the Lake
City robbery searching a home on Butler Lane in McCracken County
where Springs had been allegedly staying with Vaughn.
Authorities had a description of the vehicle Springs might be
in because of a tip that had made him a suspect in the Farmers
Bank robbery. After receiving a 911 call about the bank robbery
in Lake City, troopers began looking for the black sports car
on the interstate. Trooper Jerry Knight spotted the vehicle and
followed it about 12 miles until backup units Troopers Todd
Combs and Lewie Dodd joined the pursuit. The Trans-Am pulled
off the shoulder of the interstate after the three cruisers initiated
the stop. Neither the driver nor passenger got out when officers
asked them exit the vehicle.
According to state police reports, officers fired on the vehicle
after observing a weapon being discharged inside the car. The
report said troopers feared for the safety of themselves and the
driver. The Paducah Sun reported Tuesday that at least 17 shots
were fired by police and that all of the shell casings lying on
the interstate were from officers' weapons.
Police said Springs suffered a single gunshot wound to the head
and was pronounced dead at 5:30 p.m., at Lourdes Hospital in Paducah.
Vaughn, the driver of the car, was not hurt and was taken into
custody, charged with first-degree complicity to robbery.
Springs had been in minor scrapes with the law before, including
a 2003 speeding ticket in Livingston County, which he didn't pay
and was later cited for non-payment of the fine. Springs' last
known address was at 139 Mill Street in Salem, which is not far
behind the Farmers Bank branch.
"That makes sense because that's where they saw him coming
from," said Gareth Hardin, president of the bank. Hardin
wouldn't disclose how much cash Springs took from Farmers Bank,
but he said "it wasn't a great deal of money."
State Police spokesman Barry Meadows said that money from the
BB&T Bank heist was recovered in the Trans-Am, but none of
the money taken from Farmers Bank has been found.
"We're 100 percent sure he did the Salem robbery," Meadows
said, "and he may have been involved in another one."
There have been five bank robberies in the area over the last
two weeks. Some of the physical descriptions of the suspects have
been dramatically different, however.
Springs grew up in Lyon County near Kuttawa and had twice been
in court in 1995 and 1997 for the illegal taking of mussels (shellfish)
from the river. He was found guilty of DUI in 1998 and had been
served an Emergency Protective Order after a domestic violence
case was opened in 1996.
Other court records indicate that Springs had been in at least
some financial trouble recently. One bank or credit company had
filed suit against him last year to collect a bad debt, according
to Lyon County records.
Those who knew Springs say that although he'd had some minor legal
problems they were surprised he was robbing banks. Springs was
divorced and had three children, according to relatives.
Police would not say what information they received from Vaughn
or whether they'd recovered any evidence at the Paducah residence
on Butler Lane where Springs had allegedly been staying.
Trooper Meadows did say that police had identified Springs as
a person of interest in the Farmers Bank robbery because an informant
had named him as a suspect.
Meadows said he didn't know if Vaughn had taken part in the Salem
robbery last week. No one saw a getaway vehicle after the Farmers
Bank holdup. However, eyewitnesses did report seeing the suspect
coming and going from the bank on foot. Each said he came and
went from behind the bank.
Superintendent Hargis hearing
called off
The attorney for suspended Superintendent Fredericka Hargis says
his client will "certainly have many options available,"
after the Crittenden County School Board meets in special executive
session next week.
"Stay tuned," said Charlie Ricketts, the Louisville
attorney representing Hargis in her fight to keep her job as school
superintendent here.
Ricketts said the public hearing scheduled to begin Monday in
regard to Hargis' employment status was cancelled because the
school board was not going to be subject to answering his questions.
"I think they realized it was a sham and a waste of school
board money," Ricketts said. He said the board should have
to answer questions as to why it wants to fire Hargis.
Crittenden School Board attorney Zac Greenwell said the hearing
was indeed cancelled, but it was because Hargis' attorney informed
the local school board that she would not be there.
Greenwell said that individuals who would have given sworn testimony
at the hearing have been asked to signed affidavits which will
be filed as part of the record. Both attorneys said they have
until next week to provide each side with sworn statements from
individuals who would have testified. Those are due Friday and
a response by Wednesday, Dec. 22.
The board has scheduled a special meeting for Dec. 22 to hear
the evidence and perhaps render a decision in regard to the matter.
The school board last February suspended Hargis and began the
process of removing her as superintendent. It has charged her
with conduct unbecoming a superintendent and insubordination.
A hearing in November was also postponed after legal issues concerning
the process failed to be resolved.
Ricketts said that Hargis, now employed as a principal of a school
in Louisville, is not bound to the job she has now.
"She is holding a job subject to what happens down there,"
he said.
Greenwell and Frankfort attorney Bob Chenoweth, who has been retained
to help in the case, have maintained that Hargis effectively quit
her job here when she took another one in Louisville.
"She can file (a lawsuit) in federal or state court,"
Ricketts said, pointing out Hargis' legal options once the school
board takes final action next week.
"The board needs to do some self-searching on what lies ahead,"
he said.
This is the first time a school superintendent has been attempted
to be removed in this manner since the Kentucky Education Reform
Act changed the laws governing the firing of such administrators.
Ricketts said, "we are plowing new ground."
Ricketts suggested that the legal issues could be tied up in court
for some time to come and that could become very expensive to
resolve.
Tucker publishing unique
cookbook
Her penchant for elegant entertaining and unique presentations
in the dining room well preceded Martha Stewart. And now the woman
many call Marion's First Lady is putting her recipes, tips for
culinary creativity and her 87 year history in Crittenden County
in print.
Ethel Tucker is authoring a cookbook appropriately titled, "From
Pilot Knob to Main Street," in which she shares a wide range
of recipes she has used throughout her life.
The hardback book is in its final stages before it reaches the
printer, but advance reservations are being taken, just in time
for Christmas.
The title of Tucker's book, which was much encouraged by her late
husband Thomas, reflects Tucker's life. She was born on Pilot
Knob in the Fords Ferry community of Crittenden County and has
lived on Main Street in Marion for the past 25 years. The first
chapter of the book, which contains about 50 pictures of family,
friends and Crittenden County events, is a recount of her long,
full life as a young girl in Marion, her marriage to Thomas and
her love of entertaining family and friends.
"The book is not meant to be boastful, but to thank my Lord
who has given me this long, full life," Tucker said. "It
is also an opportunity to compile the recipes I've shared with
my family, including my sister-in-law Imogene Stout James and
her sons, Keith and Alan Stout and their families."
Though Tucker is known for her elegant presentations for bridal
teas or church women socials, her book is full of dishes that
are just plain country cooking. Sweet potato cobbler, creamed
turnips and hog jowl-seasoned turnip greens are but a few of the
old-fashioned favorites shared in the book.
"I grew up helping my mother, Lizzie Stout, in the kitchen,"
Tucker says. "At a young age I began to pay attention to
presentation, as a box I decorated for an old fashioned box supper
at Brown School brought the highest bid in 1924."
Tucker's husband Thomas was considered by many the county historian.
Up until his death in 2001, Thomas had a sharp mind that could
recite facts about events that shaped Marion and Crittenden County,
from the introduction of electricity in Main Street homes to the
oft-dangerous goings on at the Cross Keys Inn near Crooked Creek
Church.
"Thomas always encouraged me to write the book, but when
he died that was put on hold," Tucker says. "Now I've
reached the time that I want to see it completed and to share
it with family and friends."
The book lists many events the couple hosted during the years
they operated Tucker Funeral Home where Ethel Tucker operated
an upholstery and decorating shop. Tucker has been a member of
the Woman's Club of Marion, the Marion United Methodist Church
and Fohs Hall, Inc., for many years. She shared many recipes
from appetizers to desserts at functions held by each of
these organizations, and shares them now in, "From Pilot
Knob to Main Street."
Tucker's nephew, Alan Stout, says lunch or dinner at "Aunt
Ethel's" is always special.
"When I was a little boy, it was a big deal to go to Aunt
Ethel's for dinner. Keith and I, along with Bill and Bohn Frazer
(nephews of Thomas Tucker) would put on our ties and sit at the
special 'young people table' in the sun room. And still today,
its a big deal to go to Aunt Ethel's," Stout recalls.
The book will be released in the spring of 2005, but Tucker will
begin taking reservations for the book on Monday. At that time,
certificates can be obtained as Christmas gifts, with the gift-giver
retaining a stub that can be presented at the time books arrive
in Marion.