Grand Jury Indicts Fifteen

The regular meeting of the Breathitt County Grand Jury was packed with testimony and details of alleged crimes, and the jury returned charges against fifteen individuals for a variety of suspected crimes. 

The Grand Jury indicted the following on February 3, 2026:

Wesley Howard, 35, of Salyersville, was indicted on one count of Strangulation in the Second Degree and one count of Assault in the Fourth Degree (Minor Injury) after an incident on July 6, 2025, with a female.

Judge Lisa Whisman issued a criminal summons for Howard and allowed the bond he had previously posted to remain in effect.

Cornelius Wagers, 38, of Rousseau, was indicted on February 3 on three counts of Wanton Endangerment in the First Degree after he allegedly “Intentionally fired a firearm in the direction” of three individuals, creating the potential for serious physical injury based on information provided by Trooper Dennis Howard about the January 14, 2026, event.

Wagers was ordered held under a $5,000 bond and to appear in Breathitt Circuit Court to face the charges.

Dana Taylor, 44, of Leatherwood Road, was indicted on several counts following a June 7, 2025, incident.  Taylor faces two counts of Terroristic Threatening in the Third Degree and one count of Wanton Endangerment in the First Degree based on testimony by Trooper Marcus Parter.

According to the indictment, Taylor allegedly threatened Christina and Kimberly Campbell before firing a gun at Christina Campbell during an argument.

Taylor was ordered held under a $5,000 cash bond and is scheduled to appear in Breathitt Circuit Court on March 6, 2026, for a pre-trial conference.

Gentry Hale, 57, of South Fork, was indicted on one count of Fraudulent Use of a Credit Card/Gift Card over $10,000 after he allegedly used a credit card to make payments to Rent-A-Center in the amount of $13,103.35 for items he purchased on September 9, 2025.

His bail was set at $5,000 cash.

William Johnson, 39, of Curt Road, was indicted on one count of Driving Under the Influence with a Suspended License (Second Offense), Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Being a Persistent Felony Offender (First Offense), and possessing a firearm after having been previously convicted of a felony.

According to testimony by Jackson Police Officer Cody Lovins, Johnson was arrested on September 13, 2025, during a traffic stop.  Officers later learned that Johnson’s Kentucky Driver’s License had been revoked, and they also located a syringe in his possession.

Judge Lisa Whisman ordered Johnson held on $10,000 cash bond.

Michael A. Watts and Mary A. Miller, of Highway 1110, were indicted on two counts each of Theft by Unlawful Taking and two counts each of Complicity to Theft by Unlawful Taking (less than $10,000), after the pair allegedly stole two “trash carts” each valued at $1,102.18, from the Kentucky River Medical Center on November 22, 2025.

Bail for each was set at $500 cash.

Zachary Bradley, 25, of Hazard, was charged with one count of Speeding 26 Miles Over the Limit, Fleeing or Evading Police in a Motor Vehicle the First Degree, Reckless Driving, Wanton Endangerment in the Second Degree of a Police Officer, Resisting Arrest, Failure to Produce an Insurance Card, Failure to Maintain Insurance, and No Registration Receipt, and No Registration Plates.

According to Officer Cody Lovins, Bradley committed the offenses during an attempted traffic stop on September 11, 2025, when he “created a substantial danger of death or physical injury” to the officer.  Lovins indicated that Bradley “knowingly and wantonly disobeyed a direction to stop his motor vehicle.”

Bail for Bardley was set at $1,000 cash.

Woodford Reynolds, 70, of Rogers, was indicted on three counts related to a traffic stop by the Jackson Police Department on July 2, 2025.

Reynolds was indicted on one count of Driving While Under the Influence (First Offense), Possession of a Controlled Substance (Methamphetamine) in the First Degree (First Offense), and one count of Prescription of a Controlled Substance Not in Original Container based on information provided to the Grand Jury by Officer Fred Neace.

A criminal summons was issued for Reynolds, and his arraignment was set for February 20, 2026, before Judge Lisa Whisman.

Tiffany C. Little, 32, of Vicco, was indicted on count of Operating a Motor Vehicle Under the Influence of Alcohol or Substance (First Offense), Failure to Or Improper Signal, License to be in Possession, Failure to Produce and Insurance Card, Failure of Non-Owner to Maintain Required Insurance (First Offense), Possession of Drug Paraphrenalia, Trafficking in a Controlled Substance (Heroin, First Offense), and Trafficking in a Controlled Substance (Fentanyl, First Offense).

Officer Jeramie Long stopped Little in 2025 and charged her with felony drug possession.  The charges were presented to the Grand Jury for indictment following state crime lab testing of the substances recovered during the stop.

Little was ordered held on a $15,000 cash bond.

Byron Slone, 28, of Hazard, faces one count of Fleeing or Evading Police in a Motor Vehicle (First Offense), three counts of Wanton Endangerment in the First Degree of a Police Officer, Reckless Driving, No Registration Plates, and being a Persistent Felony Offender in the Second Degree.

On August 24, 2025, Slone allegedly failed to stop his vehicle after KSP Trooper Dennis Howard activated his lights and attempted a traffic stop.  The indictment alleges that Slone placed two Troopers and a Jackson City Police Officer in danger by fleeing at a high rate of speed. 

Bail for Slone was set at $5,000 cash by Judge Lisa Whisman.

David Keller, 44, of Crum Lynne, Pennsylvania, was indicted on one count of Trafficking in Marijuana (First Offense) after he allegedly possessed more than eight ounces and less than five pounds with the intent to sell it during an encounter with police on September 18, 2025.

A criminal summons was issued for Keller’s appearance in Breathitt Circuit Court on March 6, 2026.

The Grand Jury also indicted three others on various charges, including murder, sexual abuse, and reporting a false incident.  Information about their charges can be found in other articles in this week’s Jackson Times.