Kentucky
Nurse who treated Kentucky moms after alleged Bahamas drugging, rape describes how she helped them: ‘Worst scene I had ever had to work’
The veteran nurse practitioner who treated the two Kentucky moms who claimed two Bahamas resort staffers drugged and raped them during their vacation said “it was the worst scene” she had ever worked.
Ladonna Batty, a family nurse from Arkansas, was a passenger on the same Carnival cruise that Amber Shearer and Dongayla Dobson were on when the ship docked at the Grand Bahama island earlier this month.
“Out of my 20-odd years of practicing, it was the worst scene that I had ever had to work. It was a horrible situation for both girls,” Batty told LEX 18. “Worst thing I’ve ever seen. They were in horrible shambles.”
The moms, who wanted to spend the day at the beach and take some pictures, visited the Pirates Cove Resort when a male staffer allegedly offered them a two-for-one tropical drink deal
The drinks, however, were reportedly stronger than expected, and both women became highly intoxicated 15 minutes after their first sips, Dobson told NewsNation’s “Cuomo.”
A second resort employee had allegedly lured the women to a secluded area and led them to where they were eventually assaulted while in their impaired state.
Batty had been in the area when another staffer found Shearer and Dobson unconscious inside a bathroom, and she went into nurse mode.
“I got my phone out and immediately started charting everything, documenting everything I’d seen,” Batty told the outlet.
The nurse practitioner knew something wasn’t right with the women, claiming the pair had a “hard time forming sentences.”
“It was a horrible scene,” Batty told Inside Edition. “I was thinking as a practitioner, ‘Let me get all this documented, let me get all these details for the girls because they’re not gonna remember some of it if they were drugged.”
Batty believes Shearer and Dobson had been assaulted and under the influence of more than just alcohol.
“Seeing those girls in that state, it was awful,” Batty said. “Something happened to them that they will carry for the rest of their lives.”
The women claim the police did not properly handle their allegations but were thankful Batty arrived when she did.
“Had it not been for Ladonna advocating for us, I don’t know what would have happened,” Shearer said.
Once they were back on board, the moms received the results of their toxicology tests — which showed they had a plethora of drugs in their systems, including benzodiazepines.
“Anybody should be able to go on vacation and have a drink or have a Coca-Cola and take some pictures and not get brutally assaulted,” Batty added.
The resort said the two staffers accused of the assaults have been fired for violating a zero-tolerance policy by “fraternizing with guests or behaving in a manner that is unsafe,” according to a statement obtained by WLEX.
The Royal Bahamas Police had arrested the two men in connection to the sexual assault.
While Dobson and Shearer were aboard the cruise, the US embassy in the Bahamas released a level 2 travel advisory after rising crime on the island nation included 18 murders that occurred throughout January.
The moms were angry with the cruise line for not sharing the advisory with them before they got off the ship for the resort.
Power forward has been one of the positions that Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats have to fill with Andrija Jelavic and Mo Dioubate gone. The two players that Pope has had on campus at the power forward position are Syracuse’s Donnie Freeman and Colorado’s Sebastian Rancik. Both are really good players, but Freeman is better by a wide margin.
It has felt that entire time that Kentucky wanted Rancik as the backup to Freeman or a backup plan if they weren’t able to land Freeman. Well, Rancik just picked Florida State, so perhaps this is a sign that the Wildcats will land Freeman.
Big Blue Nation was torn on Rancik, but I do believe he would have been a really solid backup power forward. I personally didn’t want him to be the starting four for this team. It is clear that he wanted to go somewhere where he could be the guy at the four, so he will be heading to the ACC to play for FSU.
Now that Kentucky has missed on Rancik, it is very important that the Wildcats land Freeman soon. The problem with waiting on some of these players is the fact that the portal isn’t slowing down. If Pope targets two power forwards and misses on both of them, most of the good fours in the portal will be gone.
There will be some panic in Lexington if the Wildcats are not able to land Freeman, but I do believe the Wildcats are in a good spot to land the elite power forward. From the beginning, Freeman has been my top player for Kentucky in the portal, as he, plus Malachi Moreno, will give the Wildcats an elite frontcourt.
If Pope is able to land Freeman and Tyran Stokes to pair with Zoom Diallo, Alex Wilkins, Moreno, and Kam Williams, this could be the start of a really good team in Lexington. Hopefully, an announcement for where Freeman will transfer comes soon, and hopefully, this will be to play for Pope at Kentucky.
Fans of rival teams will say Pope “whiffed” on Rancik, but if this whiff was because the Wildcats are set to land Freeman soon, then it was more than worth it for Kentucky. If the Wildcats are able to land Freeman, it will officially be time for Big Blue Nation to start getting excited about the 2026-27 season. I expect a decision from Freeman to come within the next day or two.
Rancik would have been a solid backup four in Lexington but Freeman has been the guy from the beggining for this staff so if Kentucky lands him all is well. If the staff misses on Freeman not landing Rancik will look bad.
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Kentucky
Kentucky is poised to land either Donnie Freeman or Sebastian Rancik this weekend, per report
Jones posted on Twitter that “Kentucky will have (absent a major change) either Freeman or Rancik by tomorrow,” while also noting the Wildcats still need to add another shooter and another big to round out the roster.
One of the top targets is Donnie Freeman, a 6-foot-9, 205-pound sophomore forward transferring from Syracuse. Freeman arrived in Lexington on Tuesday night and began his visit on Wednesday before leaving without a commitment. While there was concern he could land at UConn, that visit has since been canceled, leaving Kentucky and St. John’s as the top teams.
Freeman averaged 16.5 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game last season, while adding nearly a block and a steal per contest. He shot 47.4% from the field but 30.2% from 3-point range across 23 games.
The other option is Sebastian Rancik, a 6-foot-11, 220-pound sophomore forward transferring from Colorado. Rancik visited Kentucky starting Wednesday through Thursday and brings a versatile skill set, averaging 12.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 2 assists per game while shooting 33.1% from 3.
Either Freeman or Rancik would provide a significant boost at the power forward position for head coach Mark Pope. Kentucky has already added guards Zoom Diallo and Alex Wilkins in the portal.
Kentucky football coach Will Stein reflects on new position
Will Stein was officially introduced to fans and media as the head coach for the Kentucky Wildcats, replacing Mark Stoops.
LEXINGTON — Kentucky football had its first spring game under new coach Will Stein at Kroger Field on Saturday.
The offense, in blue jerseys, had its moments. So too the defense, donning white uniforms.
Ultimately, the blue squad earned a 23-18 victory in a game called just after noon because of inclement weather.
Stein admitted he “got emotional” as he charged onto the field prior to kickoff.
“I know it wasn’t a real game, but when I ran on the field, I definitely — man, I felt it,” he said. “It was like a wave running over me. And very, very, just cool.”
While it doesn’t count in the standings, Stein walked away pleased.
“I think we got a lot of really good work,” he said. “That’s the goal of spring is to improve with fundamentals and technique, learn how to practice, learn what winning edges that we need throughout spring to go into summer and fall and prepare the team for play. And we came out of the scrimmage clean. There (were) no injuries, which to me, that’s the biggest win of the day. I could (not) care less about the score.
“If we come out clean, that’s good. The Wildcats won.”
New starting QB Kenny Minchey looked about as expected, with sharp passes evened out by moments of inconsistency. Martels Carter Jr., a defensive back who is lining up at running back this spring, scored a touchdown and had several nice runs.
And the defense forced multiple three-and-outs and also picked off one Minchey pass on a two-point conversion.
This story will be updated.
Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at rblack@gannett.com and follow him on X at @RyanABlack.
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