News from May 26, 2005 issue


Father dies in ATV mishap
A tragic accident claimed the life of a Crittenden County man and seriously injured his two-year-old son Sunday afternoon.

Tony A. Ferrell and his two-year-old son Jacob were on a Honda Rancher four-wheeler spraying weeds around the family's home at 1375 Nunn Switch Road when for unknown reasons the four-wheeler rolled backwards off of a 50-foot bluff.

Ferrell was pronounced dead at the scene by the Crittenden County coroner.

Jacob Ferrell was taken by ambulance to Crittenden Hospital from where he was airlifted to St. Mary's Hospital in Evansville. He had surgery Tuesday and was listed in serious condition.
Tony Ferrell's wife, who is several months pregnant, was home with another small child when the accident occurred around 3 p.m.

Rescue workers reached Jacob Ferrell by following an old railroad bed behind the house. Jacob Ferrell,
who suffered multiple injuries, was placed on a stretcher and carried about 100 yards through the woods before meeting a Crittenden County ambulance. He was airlifted from Marion about 45 minutes following the accident.

Friends and co-workers at C&C Ford-Mercury in Sturgis, where Ferrell worked, were struggling Monday to accept and understand the tragedy.

Longtime friend Charlie McClure said the Ferrells, both of whom have family near Sturgis, built their home on Nunn Switch Road and had lived there less than a year.

"I've known him a long time, and we used to work together at the Chevrolet store in Morganfield," said McClure from his C&C office. "He was a very likeable guy, very friendly and meticulous in his work.
"There are a lot of unanswered questions, it hasn't really soaked in."

Ferrell began working at J.R. Chevrolet in his early 20s, McClure said, and started at C&C Ford in 1997. He most recently served as the dealership's parts manager.

Kentucky State Trooper Darron Holliman, along with Troper Chris King and Sgt. Carolyn Boyd, investigated the accident. KSP was assisted at the scene by the Crittenden County EMS, Crittenden County Rescue Squad and Mattoon Volunteer Fire Department.

Arena concrete being investigated
Crittenden County School System has retained outside legal counsel and is investigating whether the concrete used to build Rocket Arena is defective.

The issue was originally raised last fall by school officials who noticed that concrete steps and walkways in front of the three-year-old gymnasium had begun prematurely deteriorating.

Rocket Arena, completed in May 2003 at a cost of $4.2 million, was built by A&K Construction of Paducah.
Ken Hunt of A&K Construction said that his firm, along with Federal Materials, the Paducah company that supplied the concrete, will be replacing some of the exterior walkways and steps that are fracturing.
Hunt said A&K has looked at the gymnasium several times and found no indication that concrete inside the structure is failing. He said all of the concrete used in the structure was tested before and during pours and passed all of the required tests.

"We are going to be as cooperative as possible to get any problem solved," he said.

Chris Bright, general manager at Federal Materials, also said that he and an engineer have checked the concrete inside the gym and found no visible signs of structural damage.

Crittenden County's Acting Superintendent Janie Tomek said it's not clear whether there is a problem with the concrete inside the arena, but she said some symptoms of ACR (alkaline carbonate reaction) are certainly present in the exterior walkways.

"At this point, everything we are doing is just precautionary," Tomek said. "We are gathering information on the situation in order to determine if we have a problem, and if so, how great the problem is and what type of remediation will be necessary."

Some concrete and aggregate companies in the region have been named in lawsuits brought by home and business owners in Hopkins and Caldwell counties, including a couple of class action suits. Irvin Materials, Inc., Federal Materials, Inc., Hanson Aggregates Midwest, Inc., and Rogers Group, Inc., are each named in the lawsuits originating mostly from Caldwell and Hopkins counties. The lawsuits allege that defective rock from a quarry in Princeton was mixed with the cement causing it to fail in many homes, driveways and commercial structures. There has been no settlement in those cases and lawsuits of that nature tell only one side of the issue.

The Crittenden County School Board has retained the law firm of Landrum and Shouse in Louisville to help investigate the issue at Rocket Arena. Marion native Kent Westberry is with that firm and will be providing counsel during the probe. Westberry did not return calls this week.

Greenwell and Frazer law partners in Marion are general counsel for the school board, but attorney Bart Frazer said the Louisville firm will provide greater resources to investigate the issue for the school system.
An independent engineering firm will be hired to take test samples of the concrete used to construct the walkways and structural walls of the arena, Tomek said. The school board will be advised by its attorneys if legal action will be necessary, if indeed there are problems with the concrete.

"We are addressing the situation and have been since last October," Tomek said, "but it's too soon to know if we even have a problem."



Henderson state policeman Sean McKinney is Post 16's Trooper of the Year. Picutred are (from left) Maj. Jeff Hancock, Trooper McKinney and Col. Dean Hayes.

Marion native is top trooper
Marion native and Kentucky State Trooper Sean McKinney has been named Post 16's nominee for Trooper of the Year.

McKinney, who lives in Henderson, has distinguished himself in drug enforcement and particularly in the apprehension of impaired drivers, the state police said in a news release issued this week announcing McKinney's selection.

"He represented Post 16 at the Governor's Award for Impaired Driving Enforcement this past December," the news release said.

McKinney made 95 DUI arrests during the period from Oct. 1, 2003 through Sept. 30, 2004 in the Henderson Post 16 area. From Jan. 1, 2004 through Dec. 31, 2004, McKinney made 110 DUI arrests. During this same period, McKinney issued 699 citations which included 173 for speeding and 98 for seat belt violations.

Throughout the year McKinney made a total of 108 criminal arrests. A large portion of these were drug related. McKinney has recovered marijuana, methamphetamine, prescription medication and cocaine through a systematic, proactive traffic enforcement effort. In addition, he discovered two methamphetamine labs on traffic stops that resulted in three individuals being arrested and charged in both cases.

"McKinney's strong work ethic, outstanding accomplishments in drug and impaired driving enforcement and his dedication to duty and professionalism have given him a singular distinction as Trooper of the Year for 2004," the news release said.