News from September 23, 2004 issue


Man shot twice by police officer
A man who had lived in Marion for only a few months held police at bay outside his mobile home for three hours before officers went inside and shot him during a confrontation early Saturday morning.

Victor Sutton, 37, had been operating a tattoo parlor inside his mobile home at Croft's Trailer Park on the outskirts of town. An argument with a girlfriend allegedly incited Sutton, who doused himself and the inside of the trailer with gasoline and threatened to set it all on fire.

Police say they tried to talk to Sutton, but when it was apparent the suspect was becoming more irritable, they went inside the mobile home armed with a fire department water hose and tried to defuse the situation. Instead, Sutton was angered and charged at the officers with two knives, Marion Police Chief Kenneth Winn said.

That's when policeman Billy Woolsey shot Sutton twice with his .45 caliber service weapon. Sutton was in stable condition Wednesday morning at Regional Medical Center at Madisonville.

Winn said Sutton went after Woolsey with a knife and then turned toward two other policemen which prompted the shooting.

Winn said it is the only time an officer has fired a weapon in the line of duty in the 29 years he's served on the department.

Sutton was airlifted to Regional Medical Center where he underwent surgery to remove the bullet from his chest. The bullet that hit Sutton in the leg exited and was found in the floor of the mobile home. Brewer said Sutton is in stable condition in the intensive care unit.

Winn said police will seek the following charges: three counts of attempted murder of a police officer, one count of attempted murder of a firefighter, criminal mischief, wanton endangerment and attempted arson.
Neighbors say Sutton had lived in Marion for about six months.
Brewer said the case remains under investigation and that all of the facts will be turned over to the grand jury.

No jobs appear in jeopardy at CCCC
Dan Smigelski, CEO of Crittenden Health Systems (CHS), told the Crittenden County Fiscal Court Tuesday morning that while he cannot speak for the company that is buying two area nursing homes, he thinks everyone there now will keep their jobs.

"Indications are that they will take everyone on who currently is working there," Smigelski said about Orion Care Services which has agreed to purchase Crittenden County Convalescent Center here and Salem Springlake Care Center.

The hospital's chief executive officer told the fiscal court that the sale of the extended care facilities is progressing at a normal pace with Nov. 1 the target date for closing out the deal.

"It looks like this is going to be a very good fit for the community," Smigelski said. "The communities will keep the nursing homes and (Crittenden Health Systems) will be a more viable entity."

CHS announced last month its intention to sell the two nursing homes. Shortly thereafter, Beverly Lowery, the administrator for the two facilities, resigned.

Marie Burkhart, interim director of the nursing homes, said she has met with representatives of the company buying the homes and doesn't think there will be any major changes in personnel. She said employees had an opportunity to ask Orion administrators some particulars last week and were reassured about their futures with the company.

The nursing home in Marion has 105 beds and the one in Salem 75. Each is about 67 percent full, Burkhart said.

Several workers at the hospital are assigned to duties that will be directly affected by the sale of the nursing homes, Smigelski told the fiscal court Tuesday. However, he thinks those jobs will be retained by shifting responsibilities.

"I don't think there will be any lost jobs," Smigelski said, pointing out that natural attrition may reduce the staff to some extent.

He said CHS is committed to finding ways to keep the employees affected by the sale. The hospital might be able to contract some services to the nursing homes such as laboratory or physical therapy which will enable it to keep staff numbers in those areas consistent.

Also, once the nursing homes are sold, he said the hospital will be upgrading or adding services such as MRIs, CT scanning and remote radiological services.

Teen dies in Sunday afternoon accident
An 18-year-old Paducah boy died in a single-vehicle accident Sunday afternoon in rural Crittenden County after spending the day scouting for deer and getting ready for the upcoming hunting season.

Bryan J. Waddell died of blunt force trauma when his 1991 Chevrolet S-10 pickup left the roadway, hit a bridge headwall then vaulted across a 15-foot creek where the truck turned over as it landed on the bank.

Waddell, the only person in the vehicle, was partially ejected. Waddell was not wearing a seat belt.

The accident happened on Ky. 723 near the Crittenden and Livingston line between Salem and Irma.

Sgt. Brent White of the Kentucky State Police said that his investigation indicates that the accident happened only a few minutes before a passing motorist saw the truck and reported it to authorities.

White said he talked to family members who told him Waddell was in Crittenden County getting ready for the fall deer season. He had arrived here about 10:30 a.m., and spent the day on a farm on Siloem Church Road. The teenager, a 2004 Reidland High School graduate, was apparently heading back to Paducah when he crashed.

Waddell was pronounced dead at the scene by county coroner Terry Gilbert. Other agencies assisting at the scene included the Crittenden County Sheriff's Department, Crittenden County EMS, Crittenden County Rescue Squad and the Salem Fire and Rescue Squad.