State News
Nunn pleads not guilty to wanton endangerment in Hart County
MUNDORDVILLE — Steve Nunn, the former legislator and one-time candidate for governor who is charged in Fayette County with the shooting death of his former fiancé, entered a not guilty plea Tuesday in Hart Circuit Court to charges of wanton endangerment there.
Nunn was on hand, wearing a green jail jumpsuit, sandals and wearing a beard. He appeared thinner than he looked before his Sept. 11 arrest in a Hart County rural cemetery where officers apprehended him only hours after Lexington police found 29-year-old Amanda Ross shot outside her Lexington townhouse. When police found Nunn his wrists had been cut and he discharged a handgun – prompting the six wanton endangerment charges in Hart County.
Nunn was later indicted in Fayette County for Ross’ death and is scheduled for arraignment there Thursday at 11:30 a.m.
Nunn did not speak at his Hart County arraignment. His attorney Warren Scoville entered the plea.
“We waive formal arraignment and enter a plea of not guilty,” Scoville told Hart Circuit Judge Charles Simms as Nunn stood silently by his side.
After the brief proceeding which took less than three minutes, Scoville asked to meet privately with Nunn and the two retired to a room off the courtroom. Afterward Scoville declined comment.
“No comment. No comment,” said Scoville to reporters’ questions. “I’ll see you in heaven. No comment.”
Simms set Nunn’s trail on the wanton endangerment charges for June 14 and a pre-trial hearing on June 4.
Nunn, the son of former Gov. Louie B. Nunn, served in the General Assembly for 16 years, losing his seat in 2006 to Democrat Johnny Bell. The one-time Republican candidate for governor crossed party lines to endorse Democrat Steve Beshear in the 2007 governor’s race. After his election, Beshear appointed Nunn Deputy Secretary of the Cabinet for Health and Family Services where his duties included oversight of the state’s domestic abuse programs.
But in March of this year, Ross accused Nunn of striking her four times in the face and pushing her against a wall in her home and a Fayette District Judge placed Nunn under a domestic violence order. The next day, Nunn resigned his cabinet position.
Lexington police were called to Ross’ townhouse about 6:30 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 11, where they found her suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. She died a short time later at the University of Kentucky Hospital. Three hours later, Nunn was found in the Cosby Cemetery in Hart County where his parents are buried. He was later charged and ultimately indicted for Ross’ murder.
Because Nunn was under a domestic violence order he could face the death penalty in the murder case.
RONNIE ELLIS writes for CNHI News Service and is based in Frankfort. at rellis@cnhi.com. Follow CNHI News Service stories on Twitter at www.twitter.com/cnhifrankfort.
- State News
-
-
Tea party offers governor candidate
Sounding themes that resonate with followers of the tea party, a Louisville businessman and advocate of charter schools said Thursday he will seek next year’s Republican Party nomination for governor.
-
Conway appears on popular radio show
Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Jack Conway gives the administration of President Barack Obama a grade of B-minus and said he supports “card check” labor legislation and would have voted for the health care reform bill.
-
State still low on child welfare report
More Kentucky children are living in poverty according to the annual KIDS Count report by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, although the state improved in some rankings. Overall, Kentucky ranked 40th out of 50 states in child well-being.
-
Bluefield College winds down summer of camps
-
Conway swipes Paul on ADA
Democratic U.S. Senate candidate and Attorney General Jack Conway knows an opportunity when he sees one.
-
Financial reform hurts poor people
“At the dark end of the street,
That’s where we’ll always meet.”
— Gram Parsons
One the insights that I got from Gary Rivlin’s “Broke USA” is that people often use payday lenders because they don’t have access to traditional banks. -
Paul’s father-in-law received farm subsidies
The father-in-law of Republican Senate candidate Dr. Rand Paul received relatively small farm subsidy payments for 12 years — including a portion of a USDA payment due his deceased father’s estate in 1995.
-
Paul, Conway clear air with KFB
Republican Rand Paul and Democrat Jack Conway tried to pin the other with his own previous statements while also trying to clarify some positions they’ve previously taken in a “Measure the Candidates” forum before the Kentucky Farm Bureau on Thursday.
-
Retirement system solvency not so easy to achieve
Two years ago the General Assembly and Gov. Steve Beshear gave themselves a big collective pat on the back for a “pension reform” bill that would put the employee retirement systems on track to solvency by 2024.
-
State parks hit hard by budget crisis
State lawmakers continued to question implementation of plans to furlough state employees and cut costs at state parks even though most of the austerity measures are the result of shrinking state budgets passed by lawmakers.
- More State News Headlines
-
Tea party offers governor candidate
