Ohio County Times

With the use of a cane, John Smith, 83, strolls down his U.S. flag-laden sidewalk at his home in Centertown. Dustin Bratcher/Times-News photo

Proud American: Centertown veteran fought in W.W. II and Vietnam War

Veterans Day has come and gone but for John A. Smith it’s an everyday occurrence. He shows it with his 102 American flags that adorn his yard, bumper stickers from two branches of the armed forces on his truck, a functional Civil War cannon that rests in his front yard, and an American flag quilt on his guest bed. One would call that patriotism but Smith considers it part of being a proud American. Smith was only 17 when he joined the Marines. “I had to get my mother to sign the papers to get in,” Smith said. “I told her that the war would be over before I would get in.” Now 83, Smith has fought in two wars — World War II and Vietnam. He served 35 years altogether in both the Marine Corps and the Army.

Ohio County rescue workers treat Douglas Funk, 56, of Hartford, after the 1995 Gold Wing motorcycle he was riding collided with a 1998 Ford Escort driven by Alva Scott, 59, of Beaver Dam Friday morning on U.S. 231 in Hartford. Both men were taken to the hospital and treated for injuries

When Daniel “The Sand Man” Maldonado steps into the ring this Saturday night, it will be the chance he has been waiting since he turned pro six years ago — a big time 12-round bout in Las Vegas. Maldonado, 26, will be putting his 19-2-0 with 14 knockouts record on the line against Jose Alberto Gonzalez, the International Boxing Association’s featherweight champion, at the Orleans Hotel and Casino. “It’s what I’ve been waiting for, my big break.” Maldonado said. “It’s my chance to make a mark on history. It puts me as one of the guys who made it. I’ll be looking at more TV appearances and bigger paydays.”

A grand jury will now decide the Ohio County High School banana-eating case involving Bruce Raley, a teacher, and a student, Brock Embry. According to Kentucky State Police trooper Mark Applin, the grand jury will decide if there is enough evidence to charge Raley with fourth-degree assault, a Class A misdemeanor offense. “We have one more interview to do and then it will be taken to the grand jury,” said Applin, the KSP’s public information officer.

Two Ohio County couples have fallen victim to scams originating in foreign countries. The two unidentified couples, according to Charlotte Whittaker, executive director of Ohio County Senior Services, were cheated out of a total of $8,000. “One of the couples, both prominent, was cheated out of $5,000 and the other lost $3,000 in a scam operating out of Nigeria,” Whittaker said. “The crooks seem to know how to target people with money.” Like another scam being warned about by Attorney General Greg Stumbo, the Ohio County couples were instructed to forward a certain amount of money to a person in Nigeria before they could claim their reward — a reward supposedly worth a lot more than what they were told to mail in.

Charges of drinking and illegal hunting practices were expected to be lodged against an Ohio County hunter who accidentally shot another hunter near Magan Monday afternoon. According to a report filed by Deputy Adam Wright, Jackie Easley, of 11 Tooth Acre subdivision, Hartford, was shot in the left arm by Ronald Coppage of 1906 Sunnydale Road. According to Wright, Coppage said he was hunting out of his truck on Sunnydale Road off Kentucky 69 when he saw movement in the nearby woods and fired his weapon.