News from March 23, 2006
issue
Davidson
accused of embezzlement
Steve Davidson, the former president and CEO of the Crittenden
County Economic Development Corporation (CCEDC) president, is
charged with misusing the corporation's credit cards at casinos,
for cruises, airline tickets, cash advances and to buy cigars
and other personal gifts. There were even misappropriated charges
to pay for a time share condominium, say the state's prosecutor
and state police.
Davidson was arrested Friday afternoon about 2 p.m., at his home
in Marion. Kentucky State Police delivered a sealed indictment
charging Davidson with 15 counts of theft and one count of identity
theft. All are Class D felonies punishable by 1-5 years in prison
for each count, up to a maximum of 20 years.
Davidson, 63, was booked into the Crittenden County Jail and was
released from custody later in the afternoon Friday after he posted
a $50,000 cash bond.
A Grand Jury was convened at the Crittenden Courthouse Friday
morning to hear evidence in the case. Circuit Judge Rene Williams
sealed the indictment temporarily and details were not made public
until about 4:30 p.m., after Davidson had been arrested and already
released on bond.
According to the indictment, Davidson embezzled $236,313.58 during
the seven-year period in which he served as director of the economic
development authority from November 1998 until he resigned in
July 2005.
State Police Detective Wade Shoemaker and Tom Koon, a state police
auditor from Hopkinsville, had been investigating the case for
about two months.
The 15 counts of theft include the alleged wrongful use of credit
cards belonging to the CCEDC. The single count of identity theft
stems from Davidson's alleged use of personal information of a
former CCEDC employee to apply for and obtain a credit card.
Davidson's arraignment is scheduled for 9 a.m., Thursday, April
13 in Crittenden Circuit Court.
FOR MORE DETAILS See This Week's Printed Edition of The Crittenden
Press.
Hargis
asks judge to reconsider
Fredericka Hargis, the former Crittenden County school superintendent,
is asking Circuit Judge Rene Williams to reconsider a judgement
to release two defendants from Hargis' 2004 defamation lawsuit.
A few weeks ago, Judge Williams released three defendants from
Hargis' lawsuit which claims that 13 local residents and businesses
damaged her reputation by circulating a letter critical of Hargis
and the school system during the winter of 2004.
Judge Williams ruled that Professional Touch Beauty Salon and
its owner ShaRion Storie had no liability in the case based on
material facts and released them as defendants.
The judge also released Lynn Auto Sales and Nancy Hodge because
of a technical issue. The judge found that Hargis had not filed
the proper court documents opposing those two defendants' requests
to be released on summary judgement.
Last week, Hargis, through attorney Charlie Ricketts of Louisville,
filed a motion asking Judge Williams to reconsider the earlier
order involving Lynn Auto Sales and Nancy Hodge. It said that
Hargis had indeed filed on Oct. 12, 2005 a document the plaintiff
believed adequate to oppose summary judgment. It said the document
was dated, filed and opposed all defendants' motions for summery
judgment.
Hargis filed the action in December 2004 seeking $900,000 in actual
and additional punitive damages. No court date has been set, and
depositions are still being taken in the case.
City
graveyard among beneficiaries
Many of the old tombstones at the Marion City Cemetery on the
corner of Moore and Gum streets are aged and fallen down. The
few that remain upright are a bit slumped over, slowly wilting
with time.
Although several Marion and Crittenden County pioneers are buried
there, the cemetery is poorly kept and in terrible need of restoration.
Now, thanks to a $16,854 grant from the Governor's Office for
Local Government (GOLD), the old city resting place is among a
half dozen area graveyards that will get some tender, loving care
in the coming months.
Local historian Brenda Underdown is one of five members of a county
cemetery committee that helped develop the grant application.
Judge-Executive Fred Brown announced late last week that six cemeteries
across the county will be cleaned up, restored and in some cases
have access roads improved. Money from the grant will be used
to pay for those expenses.
The committee identified the cemeteries that will benefit from
the grant funds. They are the old Marion City Cemetery, Duvall
Cemetery off Seminary Loop Road, the Ford Cemetery near Tolu where
reputed outlaw and former county sheriff James Ford is buried,
Clement Cemetery off Reiter's View Road, Koon Cemetery on Caldwell
Springs Road and the Caldwell Springs Cemetery on Ky. 855 South.
"We will use the grant to do some major cleaning up at the
cemeteries, restore some of the stones and improve access roads
in some cases," Underdown said.
The city cemetery is one of the top priorities, Underdown said.
Several of the tombstones have been vandalized or fallen into
disrepair over the years. There is no cemetery association charged
with upkeep of the city graveyard. Underdown said she and one
or two others sometimes try to do what they can to salvage the
old stones, but they need major work.
Underdown says it's a shame that the city cemetery and other family
plots throughout the county have been neglected over the years.
"They contain so much of our history," she said.
Dr. John S. Gilliam is buried there in an unmarked grave. He is
the man who sold for $1 to the county the land on which the City
of Marion was subdivided in 1851. Some of the graves like the
one pictured with this article of William Brown's stone date back
to the middle 1800s. Brown was buried in the cemetery one year
after Crittenden was formed into a county. Others were buried
there as early as 1833, Underdown said.
Anyone wishing to help preserve the city cemetery or any others
in the county should contact Underdown at 965-2082.