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Kentucky victims left in the dark on court notices about their offenders

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Kentucky victims left in the dark on court notices about their offenders


FRANKFORT, Ky. — On Thursday, July 18, lawmakers spoke with members of the state’s court system about an issue they say has been going on for three years.


What You Need To Know

  • Vine, or victim information and notification everyday, is a system Kentucky’s court system used for 14 years to notify victims about their offenders
  • The system is still used by the Department of Corrections to notify about incarceration status 
  • But it hasn’t been used for court hearings since 2021
  • Lawmakers said they were “dismayed” the system hasn’t been in use and urged for it to be fixed


Kentucky victims aren’t being notified about their offenders’ whereabouts in court.

Vine, or victim information and notification everyday, is a system Kentucky’s court system used for 14 years to notify victims about their offenders.

Judge Chris Cohron said during the committee meeting that in some situations, it has saved victim’s lives.

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“It is not unusual for me during a criminal docket to inquire of the commonwealth: has the victim been notified of this hearing? Is the victim aware of the resolution in this case? We’re wanting to make sure,” Cohron said.

The system is still used by the Department of Corrections to notify about incarceration status 

But it hasn’t been used for court hearings since 2021. Katie Comstock,executive director of the Administrative Office of the Courts, said that’s because, at the time, her office became concerned about allowing Appriss access to all court data.

Appriss, which administered the program, has since been bought by Equifax.

“We help victims and their families become safer and more informed through timely offender release, court cases and protective order notifications,” said Ali Mock, director of government relations for Equifax.

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Rep. Jason Nemes, R-Middletown, questioned Comstock about what they delay has been on getting a notification system up and running.

“At the end of the day, this is now three years the court system has decided to stop notifying our people. It’s their responsibility to do it and they’re not doing it,” Nemes said. “This is a problem that should have been fixed. It has not been fixed. I don’t know how much more we can express our dismay.”

Comstock said the office of the courts has had recent discussions with Equifax about a path forward to start notifying again victims about court hearings.

Equifax says it could have the system up and running in 45 days if it’s allowed access to data. Comstock said it would cost $500,000 for a one time implementation fee, and another $360,000 for a service fee for the first 12 months.

“I want to emphatically reiterate that our organization does not retain search history, or engage in any unauthorized use of registered victim information,” said Jarrod Carnahan, vice president of government and Victim Services for Equifax.

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However, the Kentucky Prosecutors Advisory Council is also working on its own case management system. Comstock said it might be better for the courts to rely on this system.

“The prosecutors’ new system, it’s undoubtedly an option for providing court notification to victims. We already share many data points with prosecutors,” Comstock said.

Currently, prosecutors are notifying victims themselves through phone calls and texts.

“As a case manager, calling folks on a regular basis can get tedious, and so if there is a way we can expedite making sure there is some type of automated system,” said Rep. Keturah Herron, D-Louisville.

Members of the committee agreed it’s not the most efficient use of time.

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Equifax says, in 2023, individuals conducted more than 1.2 million searches using Kentucky Vine. And more than 200,000 people registered for notifications.

 



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Kentucky

Nebraska lands Kentucky WR transfer Dane Key

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Nebraska lands Kentucky WR transfer Dane Key


Editor’s Note: This article first appeared on Rivals.com, the leader in college football and basketball recruiting coverage. Be the first to know and follow your teams by signing up here.

Matt Rhule sewed up a strong piece to the offensive puzzle for next season, landing former Kentucky wide receiver Dane Key. The 6-foot-3, 210-pounder will have one year of eligibility remaining.

Key picked the Cornhuskers over Ole Miss, Georgia and others.

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Rhule snagged Key at the perfect time, he’s coming off his best season with the Wildcats, securing a career-high 47 receptions and receiving yards in 715 yards.

Key’s consistency will make him an instant impact player for Nebraska next season. He’s been a starter since his true freshman season and accumulated 1,870 yards on 126 receptions and scored 14 touchdowns.

Key checked in at No. 13 overall in the Rivals Portal rankings.


Stay locked in on the Rivals Transfer Tracker to keep up with the latest transfer news, portal entries, commitments, and rankings. For a deep-dive into the transfer portal, make sure you visit the Rivals Transfer Search page.

The Rivals Transfer Portal X account is a must-follow for any college football fan.

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The winter college football transfer portal window is scheduled to open on December 9th, 2024 for 20 days. Additionally, players have a 30-day window to transfer when their head coach leaves. There is also a five-day window for players to transfer after their team has finished postseason play. A 10-day transfer window will open on April 16th as well.





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Lowlife dad who owes over $100K in child support arrested getting off cruise ship in Miami: officials

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Lowlife dad who owes over 0K in child support arrested getting off cruise ship in Miami: officials


A Kentucky dad who has racked up more than $100,000 in unpaid child support was arrested as he got off a cruise trip in Florida after several years on the lam, according to officials.  

Dominic Weaver’s vacation ended with him in handcuffs after he was taken into custody by local cops exiting the cruise ship in Miami sometime last week and brought back to Bluegrass State, Jefferson County Attorney Mike O’Connell told a local Louisville news station.

The 47-year-old owes somewhere between $114,000 and $120,000 in child support, according to O’Connell.

Dominic Weaver owes thousands in child support. Law and Crime

Weaver was previously sentenced to five years of probation for flagrant non-support in 2019, according to Law and Crime.

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“I don’t know when he left, but he fled the jurisdiction, and from the date of his sentence until today, and even today, he’s not paid one cent of child support,” the Kentucky county official told WDRB.

O’Connell said Weaver has four cases with the child support division.

“This is one of the most egregious events that brings something to light that I think I’ve ever seen,” O’Connell told the news station.


The dad was arrested getting off a cruise ship, officials said.
The dad was arrested getting off a cruise ship in Miami and was brought back to Kentucky, officials said. Law and Crime

The official plans to ask the court to revoke his original sentence and instead get him behind bars for as long as four years.

The father’s lack of support for his kids is so poor he appeared on a 2021 list of parents that owe large sums of money for their children’s care. At the time, he owed nearly $100,000, according to county records.

Weaver’s arraignment is set for Jan. 6. 

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South Carolina lands talented player out of transfer portal following LaNorris Seller news

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South Carolina lands talented player out of transfer portal following LaNorris Seller news


Former Western Kentucky offensive lineman Rodney Newsom will transfer to play for South Carolina this upcoming season, On3’s Pete Nakos reported. Newsom spent just one season with the Hilltoppers and will have two years of eligibility remaining.

The 6-foot-3 offensive lineman played in all 14 games at WKU this past season. He joined the team in the offseason after spending one year at Itawamba Community College in Mississippi.

Newsom played high school football at Briarcrest Christian (TN), where he was a three-star recruit in the 2020 class. He ranked as the No. 2,256 overall player and No. 158 interior offensive lineman in the cycle according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

Newsom began his college career at Memphis and played two seasons with the Tigers prior to going to Itawamba. As a transfer, he ranks as the No. 119 overall player and No. 11 interior offensive lineman according to On3’s Transfer Portal Player Rankings.

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Rodney Newsom is the seventh commitment in the Gamecocks’ transfer portal class, joining EDGE Jaylen Brown (Missouri), interior offensive lineman Nick Sharpe (Wake Forest), tight end Jordan Dingle (Kentucky), defensive tackle Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy (Texas A&M), LB Shawn Murphy, and QB Air Noland (OSU).

The portal officially opened on Monday, Dec. 9, 2024. More than 2,800 FBS scholarship players entered their names into the NCAA’s transfer database during the 2023-24 school year. Removing those who withdrew or went pro, the final total sat at 2,707 transfers.

So far this cycle, 2,160 players have entered the transfer portal with 676 of those already having committed to new schools.

To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire.

The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and Twitter account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.

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LaNorris Sellers signs new NIL deal with South Carolina for 2025 return

South Carolina star quarterback LaNorris Sellers has inked a new NIL deal with the Gamecocks’ NIL collective Garnet Trust, securing his return to Columbia for the 2025 season. Sellers holds an On3 NIL Valuation of $2.7 million.

His new deal now secures his return for 2025. Sellers put together an impressive 2024 season after taking over as South Carolina’s starting quarterback. He threw for 2,274 yards and 17 touchdowns in the air while adding 655 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on the ground.

Those numbers helped lead the Gamecocks to a 9-3 record, including a six-game win streak to end the year to just miss out on the College Football Playoff.

South Carolina had to hold off suitors for Sellers, as multiple schools made efforts in recent weeks for the quarterback to jump in the transfer portal. Garnet Trust declined to give specifics on the agreement but sources told On3 it’s on pace with other top quarterback deals in college football.

“Ever since the LSU game, he’s been having programs reach out to his people,” a Power 4 personnel staffer recently told On3 about the LaNorris Sellers situation. “Then as he kept balling out he’s only had more and more programs reach out. I mean he had playoff-caliber teams blowing up his phone like crazy before the Clemson game. After? That shit hasn’t stopped ringing.”

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On3’s Pete Nakos contributed to this report.





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