Tag: kentucky

Teen Dies by Suicide After Being Targeted in AI-Generated ‘Sextortion’ Scheme

A 16-year-old Kentucky boy reportedly committed suicide shortly after he was blackmailed with AI-generated nude images, an increasingly common scheme known as “sextortion.”

Elijah Heacock of Glasgow, Kentucky, received a text including an AI-generated nude photo depicting himself and a demand that he pay $3,000 to prevent the image from being sent to family and friends, according to a report by KFDA.

On February 28, shortly after receiving the message, the teen died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Elijah’s parents, John Burnett and Shannon Heacock, told CBS that they didn’t have a solid understanding of the circumstances that led to their son’s death until they found the messages on his phone.

Heacock said she now believes her son was a victim of a sextortion scheme.

“Sextortion is a form of child sexual exploitation where children are threatened or blackmailed, most often with the possibility of sharing with the public a nude or sexual images of them, by a person who demands additional sexual content, sexual activity or money from the child,” the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) explains.

“This crime may happen when a child has shared an image with someone they thought they knew or trusted, but in many cases they are targeted by an individual they met online who obtained a sexual image from the child through deceit, coercion, or some other method,” the NCMEC continued.

“In many cases, the blackmailers may have stolen or taken images of another person and they are communicating through a fake account,” the organization added.

Elijah’s parents said they had never heard of sextortion until law enforcement began investigating their son’s death.

“The people that are after our children are well organized,” Burnett said. “They are well financed, and they are relentless. They don’t need the photos to be real, they can generate whatever they want, and then they use it to blackmail the child.”

NCMEC says sextortion schemes have skyrocketed, revealing the organization has received more than 500,000 reports of sextortion against minors in just the last year.

Since 2021, at least 20 young people have committed suicide as a result of becoming victims of sextortion scams, according to the FBI.

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Kentucky Governor Launches Medical Marijuana Dispensary Map Ahead Of Market Launch And Waives Patient Renewal Fees

The governor of Kentucky has announced a new online directory that lets people see where medical cannabis dispensaries will be opening near them—and he signed an executive order to waive renewal fees for patients who get their cards this year so that they don’t get charged again before retailers open.

During a press briefing on Thursday, Gov. Andy Beshear (D) shared a series of developments as the state prepares for the rollout of its medical cannabis program that he signed into law in 2023.

“Since taking office, we’ve been committed to providing access to health care and creating safe communities for all Kentuckians,” he said. “One of our priorities was securing medical cannabis for Kentuckians suffering from cancer, from PTSD, from chronic pain and other conditions.”

Beshear emphasized that the state has been working to deliver access to patients “at the earliest possible date,” and that involved expediting the licensing process. The governor in January also ceremonially awarded the commonwealth’s first medical marijuana cards.

A majority of approved licensees have been inspected and approved, the governor said, adding that “there’s going to be a dispensary point for all patients.” And to that end, the state’s Office of Medical Cannabis has created an interactive map for patients to find their nearest dispensary

“None of these dispensaries are open yet, but you can go ahead and see where the dispensaries will be located so that you can make plans, when they’re open, how you’re going to secure your medical cannabis,” the governor said.

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Crypto investor allegedly tortured captive Italian businessman with a chainsaw for weeks in luxe NYC pad in sadistic scheme to gain password: sources

A cryptocurrency investor from Kentucky is suspected of torturing an Italian businessman with a chainsaw in a sadistic, weeks-long extortion attempt to gain the password for his accounts at a ritzy Manhattan apartment – before the captive made a daring escape, police sources said.

John Woeltz, 37, was arrested after the bloodied and bruised businessman – a 28 year-old man – broke out of the SoHo house of horrors Friday morning, ran to a police officer and said he’d been held prisoner for more than two weeks, the sources said.

Cops rushed to the luxurious Prince Street pad – which Woeltz was allegedly renting for roughly $30,000 to $40,000 a month – and discovered multiple Polaroid photos showing the businessman being tied up with electrical wire and tortured, including one of him bound to a chair with a gun pointed at his head, according to the sources.

Since being taken captive, the businessman had been bound with an electric cord, Tased while his feet were put in water, pistol-whipped, forced to take cocaine and threatened to have his limbs cut off with an electric chainsaw, the sources said.

The nightmare erupted from a dispute over cryptocurrency, in which the suspect allegedly tried to extort millions of dollars from the man by unleashing a litany of horrific tortures, according to sources.

The man was rushed to Bellevue Hospital for treatment, while cops arrested Woeltz, who was expected to face an assault charge, the sources said.

Woeltz was charged Friday night with two counts of second-degree assault, first-degree kidnapping, first-degree, first degree unlawful imprisonment and criminal possession of a weapon.

A second person — 24-year-old Beatrice Folchi of Manhattan — was also arrested and charged with first-degree kidnapping and first-degree unlawful imprisonment.

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2 weeks before Real ID deadline, 28 Kentucky lawmakers ask for another delay

The federal Real ID deadline is just two weeks away, and with less than 40% of Kentuckians eligible for driver’s license compliant, 28 state senators are asking the federal government to again delay the move.

Currently, just 36.3% of Kentuckians eligible for a driver’s license have a Real ID, the state says.

Sen. Jimmy Higdon, R-Lebanon, chair of the Kentucky Senate Transportation Committee, joined 27 other state senators this week calling for Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to delay the May 7 deadline. The letter, dated April 17, says Kentucky “isn’t fully prepared” for the change.

“If the REAL ID requirement moves forward as scheduled, it will further strain already overburdened regional offices and create unnecessary hardship, particularly for seniors, rural residents, and working families who struggle to access the necessary documents or transportation,” the letter says. “Some measures were passed in the last legislative session, but these will not be implemented before May 7.

The state senators asked Noem for “another reasonable extension” to ensure a smooth rollout.

In Louisville, lines are growing as people rush to get their Real IDs. A quick search Wednesday of upcoming appointments at local branches showed no openings.

John Woodford was at the branch at Broadway and 29th Street in west Louisville on Wednesday. He said he’d been in line for more than 30 minutes.

It’s hard for time slots, it’s too long, (and) there’s not a big enough place for us,” Woodford said. “… Everybody wants to get here early, so it’s going to be a line when you get here early.”

With just two weeks left before the deadline, many people wish the branches could do more to accommodate the people waiting like extending hours or offering more places or space to service people who need the Real ID.

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SICK! Planned Parenthood Distributes Adult Coloring Books to Children at Kentucky Science Center, Says it was a Mistake After Claiming “False” Incident was a “Coordinated Attempt to Stir Outrage and Manufacture Controversy”

Planned Parenthood is once again under fire after handing out coloring books with pages containing breasts, a female uterus, and male genitals to children, lying about the incident, then claiming it was a mistake.

The March 21 controversy at the Kentucky Science Center involved a group of over 400 eight to 13-year-old children from local middle and elementary schools.

The center said in a social media post Wednesday,

We sincerely apologize for the distribution of a Planned Parenthood coloring book at our recent Health & Wellness Days event. Planned Parenthood provided this material without our consent and it does not reflect our policies or the intended content for the event.

We deeply regret the harm this caused. We are taking immediate steps to ensure that all materials distributed at our events are thoroughly reviewed in advance and this partner is no longer welcome at the Science Center.

However, according to WDRB, “Planned Parenthood disputes the coloring book was distributed at all, calling the claims ‘false’ and ‘part of a coordinated attempt to stir outrage and manufacture controversy.’”

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Seven years ago man told family he was going for a walk in Kentucky woods and vanished…until now

Human remains found by a stream have been identified as a missing Tennessee man who vanished nearly seven years ago after telling family he was going for a walk.

William Cross, 29, disappeared after being dropped off on Williamsburg Street in Whitley, Kentucky, on May 18, 2018, just 30 miles from his Scott County, Tennessee home.

He was last heard from that night when he told a family member that he was walking in the woods, reported WVLT.

‘The call disconnected, and Cross was not seen alive or heard from thereafter,’ his missing persons bulletin obtained by WATE said.

In October 2023, a Kentucky teenager made the grisly discovery of partial human remains while hiking through a wooded area off of Sweeney Drive in Revelo, reported the McCreary Journal.

The McCreary County Sheriff’s Office was notified of the discovery and began searching the area.

With the help of members of Southeast Search and Rescue, Inc. (SSR, Inc.) and their tools and a cadaver dog, additional human remains were located.

The remains were collected sent for examination. However, they were not identified as Cross until March 21.

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Kentucky Senate Passes Hemp Drinks Bill With Amendment Regulating, Instead Of Banning, Them

The Kentucky Senate advanced a bill Friday that would regulate intoxicating hemp-derived beverages but without banning their sales as first proposed.

The bill’s sponsor, Sen. Julie Raque Adams, R-Louisville, amended Senate Bill 202 after Republicans and Democrats alike expressed skepticism about the ban when the measure was approved by a committee earlier this week.

Adams’s floor amendment removed the temporary sales ban and would instead impose a cap of 5 milligrams of tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, on cannabis-derived drinks. The bill adds regulation of the intoxicating beverages to state laws that regulate alcoholic beverages, giving the Kentucky Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control the authority to oversee their distribution and sale.

Raque Adams said her floor amendment provided a “really solid starting point to put guardrails around this product so it doesn’t get in the hands of our children, guardrails for public health and guardrails for safety while maintaining the small business interests that we have seen across the commonwealth.”

“We are treating cannabis-infused beverages exactly like we’re treating alcohol,” Adams said.

As canned hemp-derived beverages containing THC have been gaining popularity across the country and popping up in convenience stores, state governments have increasingly sought to regulate them.

SB 202 passed the Senate by a vote of 29-6 with the minority of Democrats opposing the legislation, arguing that, while they agreed with regulating the beverages, the legislation was rushed and that senators and the public were not given enough time to understand the changes.

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Kentucky Senate Panel Votes To Ban Sale Of Hemp-Derived Beverages On A Temporary Basis

Kentucky lawmakers advanced a “shell” bill Wednesday evening to ban the sale of hemp-derived beverages in the state until summer of 2026, a move supporters say will allow time to understand how intoxicating versions of the beverages are impacting consumers.

But those involved in the hemp industry decried the proposed moratorium on the sale of hemp-derived beverages as hampering, or even crippling, small businesses trying to market, distribute or sell the canned beverages that are gaining popularity across the country and popping up in places including convenience stores.

Senate Bill 202 sponsor Sen. Julie Raque Adams (R-Louisville) said the goal of her bill is to better understand and regulate intoxicating hemp-derived beverages similar to how the state regulates other intoxicating beverages such as beer or liquor.

She spoke to lawmakers alongside Rep. Matthew Koch (R- Paris) with a line of cans on a desk featuring various flavors and amounts of infused non-intoxicating cannabidiol, known as CBD, and other cannabinoids, which can include intoxicating tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC.

“We are simply placing a moratorium on their sale until such time as we can establish robust regulations that protect Kentucky consumers and, most importantly, Kentucky children,” Adams said. “We have a real, I think, consumer protection issue going on right now. We need to make sure that Kentucky gets this right.”

Legislative concerns about regulating hemp-derived beverages sprang into public view on the 22nd day of this year’s 30-day session. The deadline for filing bills in the Senate was February 18.

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Massie Teases Senate Run – Jewish GOP Group Threatens ‘Unlimited’ Spending To Stop Him

Kentucky GOP Rep. Thomas Massie is teasing a potential run for Mitch McConnell’s Senate seat in 2026, and a Jewish Republican group is already threatening to unleash “unlimited” spending to thwart any such bid, given his frequent opposition to legislation pushed by the pro-Israel lobby. 

On Thursday, Massie posted a poll on X, asking if he should stay in the House, run for Senate in 2026, or run for governor in 2027. A Senate campaign was the choice of 67% of the respondents.

The libertarian-minded Massie opposes all foreign aid. At his own political peril, he dares to make no exception for the State of Israel, which is among the world’s richest countries. He has also voted against legislation that would infringe on free speech by, for example, punishing colleges that allow students and professors to say the wrong things about Israel.

Add it all up — and stir in the fact that he’s a member of a party whose legislators almost universally toe the pro-Israel line — and Massie is likely the House representative the pro-Israel lobby would most like to eliminate. The idea of him ascending to the Senate has pro-Israel forces racing to DEFCON1. 

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Kentucky, Montana, Idaho Among States Looking to Ban mRNA Vaccines

As calls to ban mRNA shots intensify worldwide, a growing number of U.S. states and communities are eyeing laws to prohibit or pause their use.

A bill introduced Tuesday in the Kentucky House of Representatives would ban until July 1, 2035, the administration of “any human gene therapy product for any infectious disease indication, regardless of whether the administration is termed an immunization, vaccine, or any other term.”

Lawmakers in Idaho and Montana recently introduced similar bills. Legislative initiatives are in the planning stages or have been passed at the county level in at least four other states, including Iowa, South Carolina, Texas and Washington.

“A critical mass will soon be reached, forcing the federal government to follow suit,” said epidemiologist Nicolas Hulscher of the McCullough Foundation.

Dr. Kat Lindley, president of the Global Health Project and director of the International Fellowship Program for the Independent Medical Alliance (IMA), said such initiatives are “important in sending the message” to public health agencies “that states recognize the damage mRNA shots have done to U.S. citizens.”

Hulscher said the McCullough Foundation “will be actively engaged in legislative efforts to ban mRNA injections” in several states.

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