Latest / Eastern Kentucky Newspapers / (Whitesburg) Mountain Eagle - 6.11.26

Transcript

(Whitesburg) Mountain Eagle - 6.11.26 · Eastern Kentucky Newspapers

0:01
Speaker 1: Now we turn to the Mountain Eagle to read news
0:04
from Weisberg. Your reader today is build an Arsdale. We
0:09
will begin with the addition dated June tenth, twenty twenty six,
0:13
which the publishers have donated to a RADIOI as a reminder.
0:18
RADIOI is a reading service intended for people who are
0:21
blind or have other disabilities that make it difficult to
0:23
read printed material. The first item is a photograph and
0:30
the caption is new bridge takes shape beside aging Red
0:34
Star Crossing bridge workers install stay in place SIP metal
0:41
deck forms on a new bridge under construction at Red
0:44
Star while a pickup truck navigates a rough section of
0:48
the existing span on Kentucky Highway seven. The bridges located
0:53
between the Lectric County communities of Blackie and Ova, cross
0:56
the north fork of the Kentucky River. Rogated steel forms
1:01
are placed between bridge beams to create a permanent base
1:04
for the concrete deck, improving construction efficiency and eliminating the
1:09
need for traditional temporary form work. The next headline is
1:15
judge leaning against bond in Stein's case. The special judge
1:21
presiding over the murder case against former Lectri County Sheriff
1:25
Mickey Steins indicated he is unlikely to grant the defendant's
1:29
request for bond, and said that if bond is allowed,
1:33
it would be far higher than the fifty thousand dollars
1:35
casual property bond sought by the defense. The bond issue
1:41
was one of several matters addressed during a status hearing
1:44
June seventh in Leslie County. Also under consideration was whether
1:49
the trials should be moved from Letcher County, where Stein's
1:53
is accused of fatally shooting District Judge Kevin R. Mullins
1:57
in his chambers on September nineteen to the day twenty four.
2:03
Speaker 2: In an unusual twist, the motion.
2:05
Speaker 1: For a change of venue was filed by the prosecution
2:08
rather than the defense. Steins's attorneys want the trial held
2:12
in Letter County, while prosecutors argue that extensive publicity and
2:16
community divisions make a fair trial here unlikely. Special Prosecutor
2:23
Jackie Steele cited extensive media coverage of the case, including
2:28
more than one hundred articles published by The Mountain Eagle
2:31
and dozens of television reports, as evidence that the case
2:35
has saturated public discussion in the county.
2:39
Speaker 2: This was the top story in twenty.
2:40
Speaker 1: Twenty four on both the Mountain Eagle website and on
2:44
the Mountain Eagle Facebook page.
2:45
Speaker 2: Steele said he also referenced.
2:48
Speaker 1: Coverage by WYMT and numerous online commentators and video bloggers.
2:55
Speaker 2: I didn't even get into the YouTube bloggers, which has.
2:58
Speaker 1: Been insanity to say the lead in regard to theories
3:01
and things they're saying. Defense Council has even commented on
3:06
some issues that has not been true, Steele said. Defense
3:10
attorney James Cox argued that the case should remain in
3:14
Electric County because local residents elected Stein's sheriff twice. He
3:19
puts his trust in them, Cox said. Cox called several
3:24
witnesses whose affidavits supported moving the trial, including Weisburg attorney
3:29
Ashley Sturgell, Letcher County attorney Jamie Hadden, and Lecter Commonwealth's
3:34
attorney Matt Butler. Stergill, who was in the courthouse when
3:38
Mullins was shot, testified that she believed neither side could
3:42
receive a fair trial in Electric County. I don't believe
3:47
either party could get a fair trial in a community
3:49
where you have a victim and a defendant who were
3:51
both elected public officials in that community, which inherently brings
3:55
with it a lot of love and a lot of hate,
3:57
and strong opinions toward either. Surgil testified. When Cox suggested
4:03
that position reflected a lack of trust in Electric County residents,
4:07
Stergel responded that her concern was not dishonesty, but the
4:11
possibility of unconscious bias.
4:15
Speaker 2: Cox was less.
4:16
Speaker 1: Confrontational with Hatton, who, like Sturgil, was subpoened to appear
4:20
and expressed a similar view to Sturgel. I've got a
4:24
great respect for the people of Electric County, but I
4:27
just couldn't imagine you would almost have to have twenty
4:29
thousand jurors in there to try to find fourteen, Hatton said.
4:34
When Steele took over the questioning, he noted Hatton has
4:37
been county attorney for more than fifteen years. When he
4:41
asked how many years he had lived in the county,
4:43
Hatton replied that, aside from college, all of them. When
4:48
you're talking to people in Electric County at ballgames or
4:51
cookouts or fire department raffles, whatever, how often does this
4:55
still come up? Steele asked, Really, every time you're hearing
4:59
or something like this comes before the court, it pops
5:02
right back up to the conversation of the day, you know,
5:05
and then it'll fade into the background and come back
5:08
when the next article comes up.
5:09
Speaker 2: There it goes. That's it, Hatton said.
5:13
Speaker 1: Hatton agreed with questioning from Steele that based on his
5:16
knowledge of the county and of the law, the case
5:19
should be moved for the sake of judicial economy. You
5:23
can bring the circus back to town and try to
5:25
do this, and you'll never do it, Hatton said, You'll
5:28
just end up having to go to another venue.
5:30
Speaker 2: Eventually.
5:32
Speaker 1: It just depends on how many times you want to
5:34
try it. In Electric County. Hatton testified that discussion of
5:38
the case resurfaces throughout the county whenever there is a
5:42
court hearing, and the next headline is he asked for
5:49
my mother twice. Former sheriff's aunt describes unusual behavior before
5:55
courthouse shooting. Former Letcher County Sheriff Shawn Mickey Steins called
6:02
his aunt from District Judge Kevin R. Mullins's chambers shortly
6:06
before the September nineteenth, twenty twenty four shooting and asked
6:10
to speak to her dead mother. The aunt testified during
6:14
a bond hearing last week. Sherry Stein's testified that while
6:19
she is Mickey Steins's aunt by blood, her parents helped
6:22
raise him well. Like I said, my mother and daddy
6:26
raised him. So he had a name for my mother.
6:30
He called her mommy Bones.
6:32
Speaker 2: She said.
6:34
Speaker 1: Sherry Steins said the former sheriff had gone to a
6:37
doctor the day before the shooting because he had not
6:39
slept in seven days and nights. He wasn't acting like himself.
6:44
She said he spent that night at her house and
6:47
stayed awake, taking melatonin, gummies and benadryl while watching security
6:53
camera feeds from his home on his cell phone. She
6:57
said that on the afternoon of the shooting, Stein called
7:00
her on FaceTime from Malmes's chambers and asked to speak
7:04
with Bones, who had been dead for more than two years.
7:09
He asked for my mother twice.
7:10
Speaker 2: She said.
7:12
Speaker 1: He was with me when I had to unhook my
7:13
mother from the ventilator, so he knew she was gone.
7:17
It was me and him together that had unplugged. About
7:21
a half hour later, she learned her nephew had killed
7:24
the judge. Asked by defense attorney Carry Bartley, how she reacted,
7:30
Stein said, I got kind of weak, My mouth fell
7:33
open and I cried my eyes out. Never in a
7:37
million years would I ever have thought Mickey would even
7:40
discharge his gun, let alone do something like that, she said.
7:45
Sherry Steins said the former sheriff appeared paranoid the night
7:49
he stayed at her house. At one point, she said,
7:52
he tried to persuade her to return to his home
7:55
because he believed he saw someone walking along the public
7:58
road behind the house on him security cameras. She refused
8:03
because a six seventeen year old was staying at her
8:06
home and she did not want to leave her alone.
8:10
Steins was worried about his wife and seventeen year old daughter,
8:13
she said, although she did not know why. Sherry Steins
8:19
also testified that her nephew's health has declined while he
8:22
has been in jail. She listed a number of chronic
8:26
health issues, including what she described as a tick bike
8:30
that caused a real bad infection in his head that
8:33
later spread into his face. But now he does have
8:37
really high blood pressure. He was born with a heart murmur,
8:41
and he's just always had a lot of health problems,
8:43
chest problems, you know, heart lungs. He had a hard
8:47
time breathing and it seems to be his health going down,
8:50
she said. Still, she said he appeared calmer during recent
8:55
video visits. The former sheriff sat slumped and unshaven during
9:00
the hearing, wearing gray jail scrubs and shower shoes while
9:05
shackled at the hands and feet. If released on bond,
9:09
he could stay with either her or with his wife
9:12
and daughter. His aunt testified, answering questions from the defense,
9:17
She said Stein's has never had a passport, has never
9:20
traveled outside the country, and has never flown on an airplane.
9:25
She said he would comply with any bond conditions and
9:28
appear in court as required. Special prosecutor Jackie Steele asked
9:34
why she had not contacted anyone about her nephew's behavior
9:37
before the shooting, and she acknowledged that she had not.
9:42
He also questioned why Steins would have left his wife
9:45
and daughter alone if he was so worried about them.
9:48
She replied that he left so they could get some rest.
9:53
Bartley argued that Stein's would accept nearly any conditions if
9:57
released on a fifty thousand dollars cash or property bond,
10:01
a request opposed by prosecutors. Still argued that Kentucky law
10:06
does not require bond in a capital case. The judge
10:11
stopped short of denying bond outright, but said he would
10:14
not consider a fifty thousand dollars bond. Any bond he
10:18
might approve would be significantly more, he said. The next
10:25
story is six months than a lifetime of loss. Family
10:31
says prison sentence can't replace daughter. Six months can be
10:37
a lifetime for Renata Dawn McKinney Bailey. Two six month
10:43
periods would define the final chapter of her life. She
10:47
had been married to Matt Bailey just five months when
10:51
he was killed in a car wreck. She had been
10:54
dating Vincent Fleming for six months when authorities say he
10:59
beat her to death at his Cram Creek home. Now, Fleming,
11:04
twenty five, is expected to spend the next nineteen years
11:07
in state prison. Fleming, who pleaded guilty to first degree
11:11
manslaughter in the November one, twenty twenty four beating death
11:15
of Renatuta Bailey, was formerly sentenced last week in Letter
11:19
Circuit court. As her family cried in the gallery, Fleming
11:25
also sobbed as he was led out of the courtroom
11:27
in chains. That didn't sit well with Renata's mother.
11:32
Speaker 2: The whole year and six months we've been going to court.
11:35
Speaker 1: He has never shed one tear till today when he
11:38
shed his crocodile tears. Christy Smith said while family members
11:44
say the sentencing brought some measure of comfort, they say
11:47
nineteen years as nothing compared to the loss of their daughter.
11:51
They agreed to the plea deal, but said Smith and
11:54
her other daughter, Tamara McKinney, would have preferred Fleming be
11:58
charged with murder or at at the very least publicly
12:01
acknowledge what he had done. He should have had to
12:04
say her name, Tamar McKinney said. She said she believes
12:09
that if Fleming is ever released from prison, he'll do
12:12
the same thing to someone else.
12:15
Speaker 2: Smith said she.
12:15
Speaker 1: Believes that while Fleming may not have intended to kill
12:18
Renata at first, her injuries were too severe to have
12:22
been accidental. She asked to see her daughter's body after
12:26
the autopsy was completed and before she was prepared for
12:29
her open casket funeral. She said she could barely recognize
12:34
the little girl she had raised. He's a monster, she said.
12:40
Riley McKinney, who is no longer married to Smith, said
12:44
he didn't want to see his youngest daughter after she died.
12:47
I don't want to see her that way. I prefer
12:50
to remember her being happy and healthy. It's bad enough
12:53
I have to go through this, he said. McKinney said
12:58
he understands the risk of going to try where the
13:01
outcome is never certain, but it was still difficult to
13:04
see the charge reduced to manslaughter. He said he would
13:08
have preferred Fleming receive a sentence of twenty five years
13:10
to life. Under Kentucky law, manslaughter carries a maximum sentence
13:16
of twenty years in prison unless the accused is also
13:19
convicted of being a persistent felony offender or another aggravating
13:23
factor applies. Considering what has happened and the way Kentucky
13:28
statutes are laid out, I wish he had gotten a
13:30
longer sentence, but this is what God has laid out.
13:34
Riley mc kinney said, I love that baby immensely. I
13:38
miss her so bad. I don't have words for it.
13:40
Speaker 2: Really, it's a hole in my soul that will never
13:43
be filled.
13:46
Speaker 1: Both sides of the family described Ranada as a vivacious.
13:49
Speaker 2: Girl who grew into an equally.
13:51
Speaker 1: Energetic and playful woman. Her mother described her as a
13:56
goofball who loved making people laugh, and wanted to help others.
14:00
She wanted to be an obstetrics nurse. Smith said she
14:04
got accepted to college. Av of Gray, who described herself
14:09
as Ranada's best friend, said Renata would do anything for
14:13
someone she cared about. She recalled one night when Ranada
14:17
left her home at Blackie at two a m. And
14:20
drove to Jenkins to help after Gray ran out of gas.
14:23
On another occasion, Gray said Renata literally gave her the
14:27
shirt off her back when her.
14:29
Speaker 2: Own shirt tore.
14:32
Speaker 1: Riley McKinney said his daughter never outgrew the rough housing
14:35
and wrestling phase of childhood. She was constantly jumping on
14:39
my back like she was nine years old. That's just
14:42
the way she was.
14:43
Speaker 2: He said.
14:44
Speaker 1: All in the world that child ever wanted was someone
14:47
to love her, someone to pay attention to her.
14:50
Speaker 2: He said he hopes.
14:51
Speaker 1: Other parents learn from his family's loss. Hug your children
14:55
every chance she get, he said, Tell them you love them,
14:59
don't ever let them forget you love them. The next
15:04
story is Letcher native Emmy winning TV producer dies at
15:10
sixty three. Benjamin Martin BJ Johnson, a Lecher County native
15:15
who went on to become an Emmy Award winning television
15:18
producer died suddenly over the weekend at his home in Atlanta, Georgia,
15:24
according to a Facebook message posted by family members announcing
15:28
his death. Johnson, sixty three, was born September thirtieth, nineteen
15:32
sixty two to Benjamin and Audrey Cook Johnson, and was
15:37
known affectionately by his family as Marty. He was always
15:41
the life and light of the house. Family members said
15:45
as a child, Marty showed an aptitude for music, which
15:47
he carried with him all his life. He was a
15:50
talented piano player and a gifted saxophonist. He also played
15:54
baseball for many years with his older brother Mark. The
15:58
brothers once combined on the double play that made their grandfather,
16:02
John Cook, so proud he cried. But it was music
16:06
that would take him out of Lecher County to the
16:08
University of Kentucky, where he received a scholarship to play
16:12
saxophone in the Wildcat Marching Band. After graduating from UK
16:17
in nineteen eighty four with degrees in English and communications,
16:21
Johnson began working in broadcast journalism, first in Lexington, then
16:26
in Minneapolis, before moving to Atlanta in late nineteen eighty eight,
16:30
where he worked as a news producer at WSBTV. After
16:35
finding success in Atlanta, Johnson moved to the larger market
16:39
of Los Angeles, where he served as a news producer
16:42
for KCBSTV. The position took him around the world, including
16:48
to the nineteen ninety eight Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan.
16:53
While at KCBS, Johnson won two Los Angeles Area Emmy Awards,
16:58
the first of which his mother proudly displayed atop her
17:01
living room television.
17:02
Speaker 2: In rock House for many years.
17:05
Speaker 1: After winning his second Emmy award, he left Los Angeles
17:08
and moved to Tampa, Florida, to be closer to family.
17:13
In two thousand four, Johnson returned to television production work,
17:17
this time in Dallas, Texas, where he remained for two
17:21
more years before returning to Letter County to be near
17:24
his parents as their health declined. While in Letter County,
17:28
Johnson worked for a television channel operated by the Letter
17:31
County School System and was a contributing writer for The
17:35
Mountain Eagle. During that time, he returned to music, writing
17:39
songs on the piano. He also mastered the art of
17:42
baking cheesecakes, founding party Marty's Cheesecakes. In his mother's kitchen
17:48
and sharing his creations with family and friends. After the
17:53
deaths of his parents, Johnson returned to Atlanta, where he
17:56
remained until his sudden passing. Family members said Johnson loved
18:02
to travel and made extensive tours of Europe, Australia, New Zealand,
18:06
parts of Asia, dozens of states across the continental United States,
18:11
as well as Hawaii and Alaska. Because of his love
18:15
for a knowledge of beauty pageants, he was selected to
18:18
judge the Miss Kentucky pageant in two thousand twenty three
18:21
and the Miss Puerto Rico pageant in two thousand twenty four,
18:24
and had planned to judge a pageant in North Carolina
18:27
this year. He also directed the Mountain Heritage Festival beauty
18:32
pageant in Whitesburg during one of the years he.
18:34
Speaker 2: Lived in Dean.
18:37
Speaker 1: His loss is felt by many, the Facebook posting says,
18:41
including his big brother Mark Johnson, his nieces Megan Johnson
18:45
Wright and Brett Johnson Emes, his great nieces Sophie, Eleanor
18:50
and Elsie, and a host of cousins and close friends.
18:55
Speaker 2: Johnson was preceded.
18:56
Speaker 1: In death by his parents, Audrey and Benny Johnson. His
19:00
grandparents John and Ollie Hall Cook and Ben and Nanny
19:04
Johnson and his infant sister, Michel And In the next story,
19:12
Witchburg launches weekly pickleball program for players of every skill level.
19:20
Letcher Countians looking for a fun way to stay active
19:23
and connect with others will soon have a new opportunity
19:26
as the City of Witchburg launches weekly pickleball play beginning Tuesday,
19:31
June sixteenth. Pickleball, a fast growing sport that blend's aspects
19:36
of tennis, badminton, and ping pong, has gained popularity among
19:40
players of all ages and skill levels. According to city officials,
19:45
pickleball sessions will be held every Tuesday at the new
19:49
Whitchburg Pickleball Course located by Waitesburg Middle School. Players of
19:54
all skill levels are welcome to participate. The program will
19:58
offer beginner instructions starting at five pm, followed by open
20:03
play from six pm to eight pm. The city is
20:07
in working partnership with Partners for Rural Impact and The
20:13
next story is unusual crash injures rider. An Iowa woman
20:21
riding a three wheeled Harley Davidson motorcycle was seriously injured
20:25
Saturday when a deer struck by a vehicle in front
20:28
of her was thrown into her path. According to Kentucky
20:33
State Police, the accident occurred about eleven forty four a
20:36
m Saturday on Kentucky fifteen near Van. Trooper Matt Gayheart
20:42
said a BMW X three was traveling north toward ism
20:46
when a deer ran into the roadway. The vehicle struck
20:50
the deer, launching it into the air and into the
20:53
path of the motorcyclist traveling behind it. The impact knocked
20:58
the woman from the motorcycle onto the Once that person
21:02
had been knocked off, the vehicle continued to roll into
21:05
the opposite lane and sideswipe to pickup truck. Gayheart said.
21:10
First responders requested a medical helicopter, but Gayheart said the
21:14
only available aircraft was about forty minutes away. The woman
21:19
was transported by ground ambulance to a hospital with a
21:22
hip injury. The names of those involved were not available
21:26
at press time. Trooper Jarrett Fields is investigating. The next
21:32
story is Bengals guitarist Beach Boys drummer Here Thursday, a
21:40
member of the chart topping nineteen eighties band The Bengals,
21:44
and a longtime drummer and vocalist with the Beach Boys
21:47
will bring decades of rock and roll history to downtown
21:51
Whisburg on Thursday night as part of the free levitt
21:55
Amp music series. Vicki Peterson, lead guitarist and founding member
22:01
of The Bengals, and John Cowcil, a former child star
22:05
with The cow Sils who spent more than two decades
22:08
performing with the Beach Boys, will perform on the Mountain
22:11
Heritage Stage at seven thirty pm. Opening act Something Sandy
22:17
will take the stage at six thirty pm. The husband
22:21
and wife duo will perform songs from their critically acclaimed
22:25
twenty twenty five album Long After the Fire, along with
22:29
selections associated with their celebrated careers. Among them are the
22:34
bengals breakthrough hit Manic Monday, written by Prince and Heir,
22:39
the nineteen sixty nine hit that helped make The cow
22:41
Sils one of the most popular family bands.
22:44
Speaker 2: Of the era.
22:46
Speaker 1: Founded in nineteen eighty one by Vicki Peterson, her sister
22:49
Debbie Peterson, and Susannah Hoffs, the Bengals became one of
22:54
the defining bands of the nineteen eighties, selling more than
22:57
six million gold and platinum albums. Their music remains widely
23:02
popular appearing in films and television series ranging from Austin
23:06
Powers to Stranger Things. Peterson later formed The Psycho Sisters
23:12
with Susan Cowcil and became a member of the acclaimed
23:16
Americana group The Continental Drifters, where both musicians continued to
23:20
perform today. Throughout her career, Peterson has recorded or performed
23:26
with artists including Tom Petty, John Doe, Hoody and the Blowfish,
23:30
and Belinda Carlisle. She also toured with The Go Gos
23:34
during the band's nineteen ninety four to ninety five reunion tour.
23:39
The Bengals reunited in the twenty first century and have
23:42
since released four additional albums. John Calcil began performing professionally
23:49
at age seven with his family band, The Cowciles, which
23:53
became an international sensation during the late nineteen sixties. The
23:57
group made multiple appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show, The
24:00
Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, and other national television programs,
24:05
scoring major hits with Hair and the Rain, The Park
24:09
and Other Things. In nineteen eighty one, Cas Hill contributed
24:14
to Tommy Two Tones hit eight six, seven, five, three
24:18
nine Jenny, before beginning a lengthy association with the Beach Boys.
24:23
Over more than twenty years. With the legendary band, he
24:27
played guitar, piano, and drums while performing an average of
24:31
one hundred eighty concerts annually. His appearances with the Beach
24:35
Boys included Good Morning America, The Today Show, The Grand
24:38
Ole Opry, and the Grammy Awards. Over the course of
24:43
his career, Casshill has performed and recorded with artists including
24:46
Bob Dylan, The Mamas and the Papas, Harry Chapin, Maroon Five,
24:51
Mickey Dolans of the Monkeys, and Chuck Berry. He currently
24:55
serves as one of the lead singers of The Smithereens
24:59
and his touring drummer for Peter Parrott of The Only Ones.
25:04
As a duo, Peterson and Calcil have attracted national attention
25:08
since debuting together in twenty twenty four, earning praise from
25:12
La Weekly and a feature in People Magazine. They have
25:16
also appeared at the thirty A Songwriters Festival and the
25:19
Vadsu Arts Festival in Norway. Their debut album, Long After
25:24
the Fire, features songs written by John Cowhill's late brothers,
25:29
Barry and Bill Cowcil, including the acclaimed single fool Is
25:34
the Last One?
25:34
Speaker 2: To Know.
25:37
Speaker 1: The levitt Amp Wisburg Music Series is presented by the
25:40
Cowan Community Center in partnership with the City of Whitsburg,
25:44
the Mountain Heritage Festival Committee, Lectter Tourism, the Wisburg Farmers Market,
25:50
Apple Shop, and Caine Kitchen. The next story is Butler
25:57
Stein's defense team trade barb over allegations Leiser Commonwealth's attorney
26:04
Matt Butler has accused members of former Sheriff Sean Nicky
26:08
Steins's defense team of attempting to influence the jury pool
26:12
in the murder case, including allegations that a private investigator
26:16
offered two thousand dollars for unspecified information. The investigator, Joel
26:22
Newton Cotton of Anderson County, denied knowledge of such an offer. However,
26:27
his telephone number appears at the top of a text
26:29
message offering two K for information. The message does not
26:34
specify what information was being sought. The Mountain Eagle was
26:39
provided a screenshot of the message several months ago by
26:43
an anonymous source, but had not independently verified its authenticity
26:47
until Tuesday, shortly before Butler posted the same message on
26:51
his Facebook page. A reference to the message appeared in
26:55
an earlier story but the sender was not Identifiedations surfaced
27:01
publicly after Butler testified during a change of venue hearing
27:05
Friday in Leslie County. I live in Letcher County, and
27:09
I've seen the concerted effort by you, your investigator, and
27:12
others to taint the jury pool. And I feel that
27:15
it is extremely unfair that you have taken great steps
27:17
to imply that there's some sort of conspiracy that there's not,
27:21
and the Letter County jury could not see this matter.
27:24
Butler testified on Tuesday. A reporter called the number shown
27:29
in the screenshot and reached a voicemail greeting for Joel.
27:33
Cotton returned the call shortly afterward. The text message states,
27:39
this is just between you and I. We'll keep it
27:41
strictly confidential, but there is two K to be paid
27:45
for some specific information. Call me when you get a chance.
27:50
No recording, no bull I promise. Asked about the message,
27:54
Cotton said, I don't know what that would be. All
27:58
I do is talk to people, he said, I don't
28:00
try to manipulate their information. Cotton said he had not
28:04
spoken with many people about the case. Asked directly whether
28:08
he sent the message, Cotton declined to give a yes
28:11
or no answer. I talk to a lot of people,
28:13
he said, I don't recall. This concludes the reading of
28:19
the Mountain Eagle. Your reader has been Bill and Arsenal.
28:23
Now please stay tuned for continued programming on behalf of
28:27
every one here at radio. I thank you for listening,
28:31
and have a good day.