Kentucky
Former Kentucky superintendent sentenced for sexually exploiting children
A former Kentucky superintendent was sentenced May 7 at the federal courthouse in Owensboro on charges related to sexual exploitation of children.
U.S. District Court Judge Greg N. Stivers sentenced Matthew D. Constant, the former Owensboro Public Schools superintendent, to 30 years in prison, followed by a lifetime supervised release for:
- Two counts of online enticement of a minor
- Three counts of receipt of child pornography
- Two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor
- Two counts of transferring obscene material to a minor
Court records state Constant “knowingly received child pornography” on or about Dec. 3, 2019. The nine charges span events from that day until April 26, 2023.
Constant, who served as superintendent in Owensboro from 2020 to May 2023, was arrested by Kentucky State Police in July 2023 after KSP received a tip about an inappropriate relationship between the school administrator and a student.
Owenboro’s Board of Education voted unanimously in June 2023 to suspend Constant without pay, then began to terminate his contract “for conduct unbecoming of a superintendent,” according to the Owensboro Times.
While criminal charges had not yet been filed in June 2023, the school board told the Owensboro Times it had been informed by police that Constant “did engage in a relationship with an adult-aged student enrolled in another school district.”
A grand jury indicted Constant in August 2024 on charges related to three separate minors. The case was quickly sealed under state law.
Court records show it was unsealed within a week, while Constant was being held in the Henderson County Detention Center. On Aug. 22, 2024, he pleaded not guilty to the charges, according to a court order.
Due a protective order brought forward by U.S. Attorney Michael Bennett and Assistant U.S. Attorney Leigh Ann Dycus, many of the details of the case remain under seal.
Constant withdrew his guilty plea on Feb. 11, instead pleading guilty to all counts. He did not enter a plea agreement, according to court records.
A sentencing memorandum filed May 5 and written by his attorney, Bryce L. Caldwell, states: “Mr. Constant makes no excuses for his actions and fully accepts the consequences of his catastrophic, illegal choices.”
Stephanie Kuzydym is an enterprise and investigative sports reporter, with a focus on the health and safety of athletes. She can be reached at skuzydym@courier-journal.com. Follow her for updates at @stephkuzy.
LONDON, Ky. (FOX 56) — Three people in Kentucky were killed in a reported murder-suicide Saturday night after a police chase through Knox and Laurel counties.
According to a news release, the Barbourville City Police had been chasing a vehicle around 10:45 p.m. June 6 regarding a report of a possible domestic violence complaint.
Knox County authorities had received the complaint after three people had reportedly left a residence in Barbourville to get something to eat.
Parents of one of the people were concerned and called Knox County dispatch, and police located the vehicle, which allegedly did not stop. Barbourville police chased the vehicle through Knox County into Laurel County. It ended on KY-312 when the vehicle struck another vehicle.
When authorities caught up to the vehicle, officers found the bodies of three people inside the vehicle. They were identified as 21-year-old James Priddy of Bimble, 18-year-old Jadence Ann Marie Hale, and 19-year-old Kira Lila Hope Asher of Lily.
A preliminary investigation suggests Priddy allegedly shot and killed Hale and Asher, then reportedly killed himself.
The Laurel County Sheriff’s Office advised Saturday night that the area on KY-312 between Mill Creek Drive and Hood Road would be closed during the investigation.
The roadway has since reopened.
The investigation remains ongoing.
Things have been going well on the recruiting front lately for the Kentucky Wildcats. Head coach Will Stein and his staff in Lexington continue to set the tone in plenty of recruitments after landing 18 top targets in the 2027 class. Here is the latest on the recruiting front for Kentucky.
Mr. Basketball Luke Ertel after Indiana All-Stars’ win over Kentucky
Luke Ertel named game MVP with 21 points, eight assists, eight rebounds for Indiana All-Stars
INDIANAPOLIS – Baron Walker had a far-fetched thought after the Indiana All-Stars’ game against Kentucky on Saturday night that actually might make some sense in this crazy transfer portal college basketball world.
“I wish we could just form a college and be a college team if we could,” Walker said.
Indiana All-Stars’ coach Todd Woelfle, told of Walker’s idea, said he would pay money to watch that team play. He had a front-row view on Saturday night as Indiana swept Kentucky with a 94-80 victory at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in front of 4,702 fans.
It was not easy. Indiana looked like it might follow a similar path from Friday night’s 106-83 win in Lexington, Ky., when Indiana took command in the second half after leading by three points at halftime. Indiana took a 49-43 lead into the locker room on Saturday, then quickly pushed out to a 15-point advantage with a spark from Noblesville’s Walker, a Butler recruit.
This time, Kentucky had an answer. More specifically, Kentucky Mr. Basketball Jake Feldhaus had an answer. The 6-8 Feldhaus, a South Florida recruit who finished with 25 points and 16 rebounds, sparked a comeback that allowed Kentucky to tie the score, 70-70, with 6:25 remaining.
Kentucky, which had not won a game in the series on Indiana soil since 1996, had the momentum.
“I think when it was 70-70, those kids bonding during the week and coming together, even though it was a short period of time, got them over the hump,” Woelfle said. “Everybody put their egos aside and just wanted to win. What a great group of kids.”
Indiana got back on track with a nifty pass from IndyStar Mr. Basketball Luke Ertel to Crown Point’s Dikembe Shaw, who somehow flipped the ball off the backboard and in as he was fouled. After Walker and Ertel each hit two free throws, the Indiana All-Stars delivered a couple of knockout blows on a dish from Brady Scholl to Brennan Miller for a dunk and a 3-pointer from Ertel.
Just like that, Indiana led 81-70. And no more concern about losing to Kentucky at home for the first time in 30 years.
“I was just happy to get one to go,” a relieved Ertel said. “I was shooting it terrible all week, so to get that one three to go, I was pretty excited.”
Even when he is not making shots at a high rate (he was 1-for-6 from the 3-point line on Saturday), the Purdue-bound Ertel can impact games in many other ways. He still finished with 21 points on 7-for-16 shooting overall and added eight assists and eight rebounds to earn MVP honors.
“He does so many things,” Woelfle said of Ertel. “He always defends and gives you his best effort. He never puts his head down. And that’s what separates good from great. There’s a reason, even if he didn’t score a ton of points the last two nights, why he’s Mr. Basketball. He’s a phenomenal person, first.”
Walker added 18 points, seven rebounds and three assists for the Indiana All-Stars and Lawrence North’s Miller also finished in double figures with 14 points and eight rebounds. Silver Creek’s Dane Caldwell was another player who provided a spark in limited playing time with nine points in 11 minutes.
Up and down the lineup, the All-Stars received contributions from all 11 available players (Fishers’ Kai McGrew and Ben Davis’ JaShawn Ladd were out with injuries). Even more than meshing on the court, the 2026 Indiana All-Stars seemed to genuinely enjoy one another.
“Honestly, no,” Ertel said when asked if he knew it would be that way coming into the week. “Usually there’s some drama or people jealous of each other or people complaining. But that wasn’t really the case at all this week. That shows why we went 3-0. We have a great group of guys.”
The win clinched the 13th sweep for Indiana in the past 17 years and pushed Indiana’s all-time record to 109-46 against Kentucky since the series began in 1940. Indiana has won 45 of 52 games since 2000.
The Indiana players ran back to the locker room together one final time after the buzzer sounded and meeting a midcourt with a yell of “Indiana!” They will now go their separate ways, as soon as Sunday for Ertel, Walker and others. In some ways, the Saturday of the Indiana All-Star series has the feel of the last day of school.
“These relationships that we just built the last five days are going to take us way further,” Walker said. “It’s such a great group of guys … I could go down the list, just being able to play with some of them for the first time. It’s a blessing just to be part of this. I won’t really realize it now, but when I’m older and basketball is done, that’s when I’ll remember it. Just very blessed and grateful for the opportunity.”
*Carmel’s Evan Harrell and Pike’s Komari Booker were named the Wooden/MCL Citizenship Award for 2026 as presented by the IndyStar Indiana All-Stars.
Call Star reporter Kyle Neddenriep at (317) 444-6649. Get IndyStar’s high school coverage sent directly to your inbox with the High School Sports newsletter. And be sure to subscribe to our new IndyStarTV: Preps YouTube channel.
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