Former public works administrator pleads guilty to wire fraud, identity theft

WAY WITH BREAKING NEWS. THE DRIVER OF THE DRIVER SUSPECTED RATHER, OF CAUSING A TRIPLE FATAL CRASH ALONG TO 75 ONE WEEK AGO TONIGHT WAS BEHIND BARS FOR A WHILE, BUT HE WAS THEN RELEASED. THANKS FOR JOINING US AT 5:00. I’M SHEREE PAOLELLO HIS BREATHING AND COURSE DURATION WAS NOT CONNECTED TO THAT TRAGIC CASE WE’RE NOW LEARNING. SO FOR AN UNDERSTANDING, A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF HOW ANDREW BLANKENSHIP THAT INVESTIGATION IS NOW UNFOLDING, WE GO NOW TO WLWT NEWS 5 JOHN LONDON. HE IS AT THE CAMPBELL COUNTY JAIL TO KIND OF BREAK IT ALL DOWN AND SPELL OUT WHAT EXACTLY HAPPENED. HI, JOHN. YEAH, SHEREE, THAT NORTHERN KENTUCKY MAN IS THE FOCUS OF THE HAMILTON COUNTY TRIPLE FATAL INVESTOR GATION. HE WAS HE WAS HERE ON AN UNRELATED CHARGE BUT WAS FREED ON HIS OWN RECOGNIZANCE EARLIER TODAY IS HAMILTON COUNTY SHERIFFS INVESTED GAITERS PIECE TOGETHER THE EVIDENCE THAT THEY BELIEVE WILL LEAD TO CHARGES IN THE THREE DEATHS SHOWN HERE IN A FRESH MUG SHOT. 29 YEAR OLD ANDREW BLANKENSHIP WAS BOOKED LATE YESTERDAY AFTERNOON AT THE CAMPBELL COUNTY JAIL ON A PROBATION VIOLATION FROM A DOMESTIC VIOLENCE FELONY CONVICTION TWO AND A HALF YEARS AGO, THE HAMILTON COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE IDENTIFIED BLANKENSHIP AS THE DRIVER OF A BLUE PICKUP TRUCK THAT CRASHED INTO OTHER VEHICLES ON THE SIDE OF 275. AND ANDERSON TOWNSHIP CLAIMING THREE LIVES. AUTHORITIES SAY EXCESSIVE SPEED AND IMPAIRMENT ARE POSSIBLE FACTORS IN THE CRASH. TODAY, IN A COURT ORDER, CAMPBELL COUNTY JUDGE DANIEL ZALA DETERMINED THAT BLANKENSHIP, WHO WAS INJURED THAT NIGHT, NEEDS MEDICAL TREATMENT, WHICH CAN BEST BE PROVIDED BY HIS DOCTORS AND MEDICAL PROVIDERS IN CINCINNATI. HE WAS RELEASED ON HIS OWN RECOGNIZANCE AS HAMILTON COUNTY SAID IT WOULD BE SOMETIME NEXT WEEK BEFORE ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT CHARGES FROM THE FATALES WOULD BE AVAILABLE. THE PEOPLE WHO DO ACTION RECONSTRUCTION ARE SPECIALLY TRAINED OR WEEKS LONG CLASSES. THEY HAVE TO GO TO. ATTORNEY JAY CLARK KNOWS CRASH RECONSTRUCTION BACKWARDS AND FORWARDS, SHOWING US SOME EXAMPLES WHAT IT TAKES TO DETERMINE RANGE OF SPEED. SKID MARKS MEASUREMENTS. WHAT GOUGES IN PAVEMENT SUGGESTS IT’S NOT A SWIFT PROCESS WHEN IT’S A MULTIPLE FATALITY SCENE LIKE THIS ONE. YOU DON’T WANT HIM TO RUSH. AND THIS IS A LOT MORE COMPLICATED BECAUSE OF THE PHYSICS, THE LOCATION. BECAUSE ONCE YOU RELEASED A CRIME SCENE, YOU CAN GO BACK AND DUPLICATE SOME OF IT, BUT YOU CAN’T DUPLICATE ALL OF IT. SO PEOPLE NEED TO BE PATIENT ON THAT. IT HAS BEEN A WEEK SINCE THE LIVES OF GENARLOW GLOVER, RICK GLASER AND KEITH SKAGGS ENDED THE VIGIL THE OTHER NIGHT. A TRIPLE D’S FLEET CENTER REFLECTS THE SADNESS AND SUPPORT THE COMMUNITY FEELS. NOW. BLANKENSHIP HAS BEEN ORDERED TO BE BACK HERE AT THE CAMPBELL COUNTY DETENTION COURT FOR ARRAIGNMENT ON HIS DOMESTIC VIOLENCE PROBATION VIOLATION IN TEN DAYS. IT’S UNREAL TO DO THAT TRIPLE FATALITY CASE, A GRAND JURY WOULD DETERMINE APPROPRIATE CHARGES FOR THAT. LIVE IN CAMPBELL COUNTY, JOHN LONDON WLWT. NEWS 5. SO, JOHN, GIVEN THE MEDICAL REASONS FOR BLANKENSHIP’S RELEASE TODAY, ARE THERE CERTAIN CONDITIONS THAT MAYBE RESTRICTED THINGS THAT HE HAS TO ABIDE BY? THERE ARE NO FIREARMS, NO DRUGS OR ALCOHOL. SOME OF IT IS IS IS A PATTERN IN THESE KINDS OF CASES, TESTING ONCE A WEEK FOR DRUGS AND ALCOHOL, NO DRIVING OF ANY TYPE OF MOTOR VEHICLE. AND RIGHT AFTER THE ARRAIGNMENT, HE WOULD HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT HE REPORTED IMMEDIATELY TO HIS PROBATION AND PAROLE SUPERVISOR. ALL RIGHT, JOHN LONDON REPORTING LIVE FOR US TONIGHT. JOHN, THANK YOU. WANT TO GET BACK TO THAT BREAKING NEWS NOW. THE FIRE IS NOW UNDER CONTROL IN INDIANA, RICHMOND, INDIANA, BUT EMERGENCY OFFICIAL OFFICIALS, RATHER, ARE STILL TELLING PEOPLE TO STAY AWAY FROM THAT SIDE OF THE LARGE, LARGE INDUSTRIAL FIRE THAT IS TOXIC FOR THOSE PEOPLE THERE. THE GROUP OF OFFICIALS WORKING OUT HOW EXACTLY TO FINISH THIS FIRE OFF JUST HELD A NEWS CONFERENCE, A SHORT TIME AGO IN WLWT NEWS 5 BRIAN HAMRICK WAS THERE. BRIAN, WHAT PROGRESS ARE THEY SEEING THERE ON THE GROUND? IT SOUNDS LIKE IT IS UNDER CONTROL NOW. YEAH, WELL, THE FIRE IS UNDER CONTROL. WE JUST HAD THIS BRIEFING ABOUT A HALF AN HOUR AGO IS WHEN IT ENDED. THE LATEST THING HERE AT THE SCENE IS THAT THE WIND HAS SHIFTED DIRECTION, EVEN THOUGH THERE’S NOT MUCH SMOKE HERE. WE’RE PROBABLY GOING TO HAVE TO LEAVE THIS AREA BECAUSE FOR THE FIRST TIME IN FOUR DAYS, THE WIND IS COMING AT US NOW. INSTEAD OF GOING BACK THAT WAY. SO WE’RE PROBABLY GOING TO HAVE TO GO OUT OF THIS AREA AND COME TO YOU AT 6:00 FROM A DIFFERENT SPOT. ONE OF THE MAIN THINGS IS THAT THIS SITE IS NOW THEY’RE SAYING THERE IS JUST HOT SPOTS AT THIS POINT AND THEY’RE LOOKING TO FOR FLARE UPS AND THEY’RE EXPECTING TO BE OUT HERE FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS AND THEY EXPECT THAT TO LAST FOR AT LEAST A FEW DAYS, MAYBE EVEN MORE. NOW, THIS IS A HUGE SITE, 13 ACRES, SIX BUILDINGS. WE SPECIFICALLY ASKED THE MAYOR HOW MANY HOMES AND BUSINESSES ARE AFFECTED HERE. AND AT THIS POINT, THEY JUST DON’T KNOW. BUT THAT EVACUATION ORDER IS STILL WARM FOR ANYONE IN THAT HALF MILE RADIUS. THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT SAYS THERE HAVE BEEN REPORTS OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN IN THE EVACUATED ZONE WHO ARE NOW HAVING EXTREME HEADACHES, SICKNESS. THEY’RE ASKING PEOPLE TO STAY OUT AT THE SAME TIME. HEALTH OFFICIALS SAID HOSPITALS AREN’T REPORTING ANY INCREASE IN RESPIRATORY PROBLEMS. SO THE FIRE CHIEF WILL CONTINUE TO BE ON THE SCENE DEALING WITH THESE HOT SPOTS. THE FIRE CHIEF TELLS US EVEN THOUGH THERE’S NOT MUCH OF A FIRE, PEOPLE SHOULDN’T GO NEAR THE SITE. THE SITE IS VERY DANGEROUS OF THERE ARE LARGE PIECES OF METAL THAT ARE EVERYWHERE. THERE ARE STRUCTURES THAT ARE UNSTABLE. AS I SAID, THERE COULD BE SOME HOT SPOTS. THERE ARE SEVERAL GALLONS OF WATER LAYING AROUND ON THE GROUND. YOU MIGHT WALK INTO A HOLE IN AND YOU MIGHT GO INTO YOUR KNEES OR YOUR TO YOUR HIPS. WHAT WITH HOLES. SO WE URGE EVERYBODY TO PLEASE STAY AWAY FROM THE SITE. LET US TAKE CARE OF IT. LET US TAKE CARE OF THE FLARE UPS AND EVERYONE WILL BE SAFE. NOW THERE’S A MEETING OF ABOUT 30 PEOPLE TOMORROW. THEY’RE GOING TO COME BACK TOGETHER, ARE GOING TO ASSESS THE SITUATION AGAIN. THEY HOPE TO HAVE MORE ON THAT DATA THAT THEY’VE COLLECTED ABOUT THE AIR QUALITY AND THE WATER QUALITY. BUT I ASKED THE HEALTH DIRECTOR ABOUT THIS. I SAID, HOW ACCURATE CAN YOU BE WHEN IT COMES TO ASSESSING EACH INDIVIDUAL AND EACH INDIVIDUAL’S RISK? AND SHE WAS PRETTY CANDID. SHE SAID NOT VERY ACCURATE. WE’LL HAVE MORE ON THAT COMING UP AT SIX.

Former public works administrator pleads guilty to wire fraud, identity theft

Updated: 10:21 PM EDT Apr 14, 2023

A former administrator for Covington Public Works has pleaded guilty to wire fraud and identity theft.According to Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron, Donaldson used city of Covington credit cards to make more than $180,000 in personal purchases over two years.The charges included designer furniture and repairs on a Mercedes-Benz.As part of the agreement, Donaldson waived her right to appeal her guilty plea. When she is sentenced, Donaldson faces up to 22 years in prison and a fine of $500,000.

COVINGTON, Ky. —

A former administrator for Covington Public Works has pleaded guilty to wire fraud and identity theft.

According to Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron, Donaldson used city of Covington credit cards to make more than $180,000 in personal purchases over two years.

The charges included designer furniture and repairs on a Mercedes-Benz.

As part of the agreement, Donaldson waived her right to appeal her guilty plea.

When she is sentenced, Donaldson faces up to 22 years in prison and a fine of $500,000.