FLORENCE, Ky. —

A Ryle High School Junior made school history Thursday after he scored a 60-yard goal within seconds of kickoff.

During the varsity soccer match between Ryle and Boone County high schools, Josh Line saw an opportunity when he noticed the goalie off his line and went for the goal shot and ended up making it from 60 yards.

Watch video player above to see the goal

The junior might have gotten his inspiration from warming up with the team's Lance Paul No. 5 jersey in memory of their teammate who died last September and from his Kings Hammer coach Eric Rothwell telling him, "Josh, with your leg, if you ever have an opportunity and the goalie is off the line, take it."

Line recorded the longest goal in Ryle's history for his 60-yard goal, and the Ryle Raiders took the win over the Boone County Rebels, 9-1.

HEBRON, Ky. — A middle school student has been charged with terroristic threatening after the Boone County Sheriff's Office said he admitted to writing threats inside a notebook.

The sheriff's office said a school resource officer was told a student at Conner Middle School had a notebook containing "specified acts of violence" Nov. 23. The notebook allegedly identified individuals and noted how he would "locate them or have them respond to an area where he would encounter them."

While the student admitted to writing what was inside the notebook, the sheriff's office said he told the school resource officer he was not planning to carry out the acts "but merely writing the thoughts down that were in his head."

The sheriff's office said the student was then charged with second-degree terroristic threatening. He is at Campbell County Juvenile Detention Center pending his next court date.

This is the third student arrest announced in the Tri-State this week. A student at Milford Junior High School was arrested by Miami Township Police Friday after school administrators said the student compiled a list of fellow students' names, referring to it as a "kill list."

Southwest Local Schools reported police confiscated "contraband" from a student's vehicle Thursday, leading to an arrest and heightened security Friday. Superintendent John C. Hamstra said the district was originally notified a student may have had a weapon in their car on campus. He did not say whether the contraband confiscated was a weapon.

RELATED: Police: Milford Junior High student arrested over alleged 'kill list'
RELATED: Harrison High School to have 'increased law enforcement' after weapon investigation

A man is facing charges in connection to another man's drug-related death in Boone County last week.

Police said an investigation revealed the death of 30-year-old Robert Dedden of Hebron was drug-related.

Dedden was in recent contact with Dominic Jackson, 29, from Cinicinnati about purchasing fentanyl. Deputies posed as Dedden on social media and reached out to Jackson to purchase more fentanyl. Officials said Jackson agreed to meet.

According to police, Jackson was seen Friday night in the area of Dedden's home and left the fentanyl in Dedden's vehicle in exchange for cash.

Deputies pulled over Jackson and placed him under arrest.

Inside the vehicle was 29-year-old Shalinda Thomas and three children under the age of 10, police said. Thomas has been charged with trafficking a controlled substance, endangering the welfare of a minor and unlawful transaction with a minor under 16.

Police charged Jackson with second-degree manslaughter, unlawful transaction with a minor under 16, trafficking in a controlled substance and other traffic violations.

Both were taken to the Boone County Jail and are being held without bond.

WALTON, Ky. — Two people were killed in a crash involving three vehicles on the I-75 southbound ramp to Mary Grubbs Highway in Boone County.

The Boone County Sheriff's Office said a witness reported a white 2019 Jeep Wrangler collided with the rear end of a brown 2007 Honda Civic stopped in traffic while getting on the ramp from I-75 South to Mary Grubbs Hwy Friday around 5 p.m. The Honda Civic then hit a white 2020 Chevrolet pickup truck also stuck in traffic.

Wendy Ward, the driver of the Honda Civic, was airlifted to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center with possible life-threatening injuries. Two passengers, 52-year-old Jeff Mardis of Walton and 15-year-old Autumn Ward of Newport, were pronounced dead at the scene.

The driver of the Jeep Wrangler was taken to St. Elizabeth Florence Hospital for minor injuries, and the driver of the pickup truck was treated on scene. While the crash remains under investigation, Boone County deputies said they do not believe intoxication was a contributing factor.

BOONE COUNTY, Ky. — One person is dead after a crash in Boone County.

The Boone County Sheriff's Office said a 2007 Ford Fusion driven by 69-year-old Sue Brossart crossed into another lane on U.S. 42, colliding head-on with a 2009 Toyota Highlander driven by 30-year-old Autumn Hopper of Verona, Ky.

Brossart, a Butler, Ky. native, was taken to St. Elizabeth in Florence — later dying from her injuries. Hopper was also taken to the hospital with minor injuries.

The sheriff's office said a 5-year-old in Brossart's car also had minor injuries. A 6-year-old and 3-year-old in Hopper's car were taken to the hospital as a precaution, but officials said neither child had any reported injuries.

Officials do not believe intoxication or speed were contributing factors; however, the exact cause of the crash remains under investigation.

BOONE COUNTY, Ky. —

A Boone County sheriff's deputy injured in the line of duty continues to recover at home and is sharing his story for the first time.

Lt. Chris Hall, who has served on the sheriff's department for almost 20 years, said he continues reliving the moment he believes he nearly lost his life.

He was laying out stop sticks at U.S. 42 and I-71/75 on a rainy Friday night in October when he was hit by the car he was trying to stop.

"I know in reality it only took a second or two," he said. "I know it happened so fast, but I could probably sit here and talk to you for hours about it."

Hall said the next several seconds seemed to move in slow motion. His body camera footage captured a car coming straight at him and Hall being hit only a few seconds later.

"Not mentally prepared to watch it yet. It's in my head. I can't stop thinking of it," Hall said.

Deputies say four teenagers were in the stolen car, leading police on a chase. They eventually abandoned the car and were arrested hours later.

Hall is bruised and has healing brush burns on his arm. His most serious injury is his knee. He said has several fractures and may need surgery.

"I could easily ride this out, retire in five months and go away, and I don't think anybody would question why," he said. "But this just makes me and motivates me to want to come back even harder ... If I do retire, the bad guys win, and I'm not going to let it happen."

Hall believes the teenager who was driving the stolen vehicle hit him intentionally.

"He had an alley and a lane he could have gone... He would run over the stop sticks," he said. "The only other choice he had was to avoid them and intentionally strike me, which I firmly believe he did."

He was thrown onto the hood of the car and then to the ground.

"First thought is your family. I have my wife, I have a 20-year-old son, a 17-year-old daughter and a 14-year-old son. They're the first thing you think of. You immediately start thinking 'Are they gonna have to go to a law enforcement officer's funeral'?" he said.

While lying in the road receiving medical treatment, he said he asked someone to bring him his phone. He called his wife.

"I needed my family to hear first. I did not need them to have somebody knocking at my door, somebody making a phone call or worse, the kids finding out on social media," he said.

It is not the first time he's had to make an emergency call like that to his wife.

In 2003, Hall was rear-ended on duty while working a traffic crash on I-75 in the pouring rain. He sustained minor injuries.

In 2001, he was working for the United States Secret Service at the White House on Sept. 11. His wife was pregnant.

"After the Pentagon was struck, I made a quick phone call to her just saying, 'hey, I love you. Tell our son I love him' and I hung up on her," he said.

Hall said his wife gave birth two days later to their first child.

He said the community's support following his recent injury has been tremendous. He has received dozens of letters, cards and thank you notes, including from school children.

While he said the positive outweighs the negative, he has lingering questions about the teenagers who put him in the hospital and could have cost him his life.

"I want to know why," he said. "We all know these are kids that had stolen multiple cars, firearms, running from police and now here we are running over people, running over police officers. I just want to know what got you to this point in your life."

Hall said he knows he may never get an answer.

"Fortunately, I'm still here today. Probably shouldn't be. But it could have been bad. Instead of an attempted murder charge, it could have been a murder charge," he said.

Hall plans to return to duty as soon as he is medically cleared.

The Boone County Sheriff's Office has released new details about the crashes that killed three drivers on Boone County interstates Monday morning.

Two drivers were killed on westbound I-275 before the Carroll Cropper Bridge around 8:30 a.m., the sheriff's office said. Several vehicles and multiple collisions were involved.

Originally, deputies were dispatched for a single-vehicle crash involving a Chevrolet Camaro, according to a release. Subsequently, several more collisions occurred at the same location involving a Jeep Wrangler, a Chevrolet Trailblazer and a Ford F-150.

The driver of the Camaro, identified by police as Brandon L. Hicks, 24, of Norwood, Oh., and the driver of the Jeep, identified as Anna M. Kincart, 36, of Petersburg, Ky., were pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the Trailblazer was transported to the hospital with moderate but non-life-threatening injuries. The driver of the F-150 was not injured.

Another fatal crash - involving a car and a semi - happened shortly before 9:30 a.m. on northbound I-75 in Walton, Kentucky. The driver of a Toyota Corolla died at the scene.

The Corolla driver lost control in water that had pooled in the high-speed lane, according to a release. The Corolla spun out of control across the highway and became lodged under the semi’s trailer. The semi driver was not injured.

Both highways have reopened.

The names of the deceased are being withheld until next of kin can be notified.

The Sheriff’s Office Accident Reconstruction Team is handling both investigations.

WCPO will update this story as more information becomes available.

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. — A woman who died in a crash in Boone County on Monday is being remembered for her friendship, humor and dedication to her craft this week.

Twenty-one-year-old Allyson Davis, who hailed from Floyd County, Kentucky and was a senior musical theatre student at Northern Kentucky University, died Monday morning in a crash on I-75 near Walton.

"She was a wonderful young lady and it is an understatement that we will miss her greatly," NKU School of the Arts leaders said in an online statement.

Davis was recently the lead in “Tick Tick Boom!” and played Little Buttercup in “HMS Pinafore” at NKU.

“Her talent was only matched by the size of her heart and her infectious smile, which could light up any room. Ally was loved by her classmates and a true friend through the best and hardest of times. The dedication to which she pursued her craft was an inspiration to all of us,” the statement continued.

“In class, on stage, or passing in the hallways, Ally made you feel as if you'd been friends for a lifetime. She represents the best in all of us, and we will forever be lucky to have enjoyed her artistry, friendship, and love of life.”

A GoFundMe set up by students for a memorial for Davis and to support her family has already raised over $8,300 as of Wednesday afternoon. To donate to the GoFundMe, click here.

A visitation for Davis will be held from noon to 2 p.m. at the Mountain Arts Center in Prestonsburg. A memorial service will follow at 2 p.m.

Two Northern Kentucky police agencies are warning about a new round of scam calls in which callers ask seniors for money to bail a relative out of jail.

Police in Boone and Kenton counties said the scam caller portrays themselves as one of the victim's family members, like a grandchild or a nephew, and says they have been involved in a crash and are under arrest.

Then, in a "very convincing" follow-up call, someone posing as a lawyer will instruct the victim to hand over cash for reduced bail between $10,000 and $15,000. A "courier" or "bail bondsman" is sent to the victim's home to collect the money. The Kenton County Sheriff's Office said some victims have been instructed to provide gift card numbers over the phone as payment.

"The scammers are very good at picking up personal clues thru the phone conversation and at portraying themselves as the family member, lawyer or law enforcement personnel," read a release from the Kenton County Sheriff's Office.

Bail bond businesses do not exist in Kentucky, and people who are arrested most often pay bonds directly to jails, according to the Boone County Sheriff's Office.

If you receive one of these scam calls, do not give any personal information over the phone. Make the caller say your family member's name, where they are being held and what police agency made the arrest. Then, hang up and call police.

"The scammers will work hard to keep you on the phone and if you try to hang up they are likely to make threats," the BCSO said.

If you're not sure you received a scam call, contact your family member to confirm they are safe, and do not use a phone number a scam caller provides.

To report these calls, contact the Kentucky Attorney General's Office of Consumer Protection at (888) 432-9257.

MORE SCAM CALLS: Kidnapping phone scam terrifies parents

A Cincinnati man was sentenced to 174 months in federal prison after he pleaded guilty to firing shots while his girlfriend and her children were nearby before stealing a pizza delivery driver's vehicle in Boone County.

Prosecutors said 25-year-old Sammie Green admitted that he got into a dispute with his girlfriend on Aug. 15, 2019 when a pizza delivery driver arrived, according to his plea agreement.

When his girlfriend and her children asked the driver to call police, Green fired multiple shots and approached the driver. Green pointed the gun at him and demanded the keys to the driver's Ford Focus. The delivery driver complied and Green drove off. Court documents said officers recovered the vehicle a few days later in Cincinnati.

Green pleaded guilty in September 2020 to carjacking and discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. He was sentenced by U.S. District Judge David Bunning on Tuesday.

Under federal law, Green must serve 85% of his prison sentence, more than 12 years, and will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for five years following his release from prison, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Kentucky.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and the Boone County Sheriff's Department conducted the investigation.

FLORENCE, Ky. — Kentucky State Police are investigating law enforcement officers' fatal shooting of a man in Florence, Kentucky, on June 30.

According to a news release, U.S. Marshals attempted to execute multiple arrest warrants on a suspect located inside a home on Garden Drive.

The subject fired his weapon at the Marshals and continued to brandish a firearm throughout their brief standoff.

Law enforcement — the release does not specify which entity they worked for — shot the man, and he was pronounced dead at the scene. No officers were harmed during the altercation.

Officials have not publicized the man's name or the crimes of which he was suspect.

BURLINGTON, Ky. — A Boone County jury found Jacob Walter not guilty of one count of sodomy in the first degree, but were deadlocked and unable to come to a verdict on a second charge of sodomy in the first degree or the charge of rape.

Walter was arrested in 2018 after he pinned a woman down and raped her until she bled, according to the Boone County Sheriff's Department.

According to court documents, the 7-foot-tall, 300-pound Walter held the victim down, choked her and ignored her pleas to stop, leaving her bruised and bleeding by the time her mother called police.

"Walter dismissed the victim by laughing at her and telling her that she would be fine," Sgt. Philip Ridgell wrote in a release.

Walter registered as a juvenile sex offender after an incident authorities said he committed just weeks before his 18th birthday.

The victim in that case told investigators that Walter ignored her telling him to stop sexual intercourse. She later recorded a phone call in which he admitted to doing it despite her requests to stop, according to court records. A judge ordered Walter to remain in community placement with the Department of Juvenile Justice for a maximum of three years after that case.

BOONE COUNTY, Ky. — Boone County Emergency Management tested its storm sirens Wednesday after a failure during last week's severe weather.

The National Weather Service said a tornado touched down in Petersburg Friday night. Storm sirens are designed to alert those who are outdoors to take cover, but people who live in the area said they did not hear them.

“And we had a house full of bed and breakfast guests,” said Jen Warner. “Some were in, and some were out. And I was out here working with the horses.”

Warner runs First Farm Inn on Stevens Road. That’s where the storm blew roofs off homes and tore down trees.

NWS said the tornado was on the ground from 9:09 to 9:14 p.m. and traveled 2.8 miles. Wind speeds maxed out at 90 miles an hour, making it an EF1 tornado.

The Boone County Sheriff’s Office said the fiscal court is responsible for sounding the storm sirens. Staff said they tried to sound the alarm, but it did not work.

The county posted online: “A malfunction was immediately detected that prevented the sirens from sounding.”

Emergency management director Mark Ihrig said the vendor that supplies the system came out to check it Wednesday, at which point inspectors did not find anything wrong.

Ihrig said the county tests the system the first Wednesday of each month unless the weather is questionable outside. Staff did not want to confuse the public by sounding an alarm when storms could be passing through.

IIn June, the county did not test the system because of questionable weather, Ihrig said. The last test was performed in May.

WCPO 9 First Warning Weather meteorologist Raven Richard said, typically, sirens alert people when tornado warnings are active. That means radar spotted rotation.

“If there’s a tornado warning in your county, absolutely, go to your safe place. That’s not something to wait around with. That’s actually take action. A watch is like get ready to take action,” said Richard.

You can download the WCPO Storm Shield app on your phone to get alerts automatically. You can also set up alerts on a weather radio available at retail stores.

VERONA, Ky. — A driver shot and killed his passenger during an argument as the pair traveled through Boone County Thursday morning, according to county deputies. He was still on the road when he called 911 to report the crime.

Deputies wrote the two men — 36-year-old victim Girlis Serratt and 32-year-old suspect Tommy Hightower, who now stands charged with murder — began their journey in Alabama and planned to meet friends in Michigan. They didn’t make it.

At the time of the attack, Hightower and Serratt were arguing about whether they should return to Alabama or search for jobs in Ohio, according to investigators.

Deputies believe Hightower fatally shot Serratt in response. He called police immediately afterward, confessed to the shooting and agreed to surrender himself into deputies’ custody at nearby Shell station.

Serratt would be pronounced dead at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center.

Hightower is being held at the Boone County Justice Center.

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A CHASE THAT STARTED IN DEARBORN COUNTY, Indiana — A chase that started in Dearborn County, Indiana, crossed state lines and ended in a Boone County neighborhood Friday afternoon.

Dearborn County deputies received a report of a vehicle striking another deputy and a police cruiser during a traffic stop shortly before 2:30 p.m., according to their report. They located and pursued the vehicle to Cayton Road in Florence, Kentucky, where it "became disabled," they wrote.

The driver, 35-year-old Jonathan Bingham, fled into a wooded area but was discovered hiding in a field and arrested after a short foot chase.

Bingham now faces charges in two states. He has outstanding felony warrants in Indiana for probation violation and possession of narcotic equipment. In Kentucky, he stands charged with criminal mischief, reckless driving, leaving the scene of a crash, operating a vehicle on an expired license and fleeing/evading police on foot.

Deputies said Bingham is being held in the Boone County Jail as he awaits extradition to Indiana.

BOONE COUNTY, Ky. —

A Northern Kentucky veteran got his high school diploma that he waited almost five decades for Friday evening.

Rick Hopple never thought this moment would happen.

"It's been 47 years but tonight's the night," Hopple said.

In 1974, Hopple was a senior at Boone County High School but times were tough and he needed to help support his family.

With only half a credit away from graduating, Hopple enlisted in the Air Force.

He served, came home and became a firefighter. But he always regretted not getting his diploma.

"This is the first time that I'm aware of in the Boone County school system that this has been done. The General Assembly in Kentucky a few years ago that passed a bill that allowed military veterans who did not receive their diploma due to military service to use that service as commendatory service for a diploma," said Tim Schlotman, principal of Boone County High School.

Schlotman and his team wanted to make Friday as special as possible for Hopple.

"We were able to determine the graduation night in 1974 so we put that date on his diploma. We are working on getting him a tassel that says 74 on it and not 2021. So it'll be a great night for him," Schlotman said.

Finally, 47 years later, Hopple got to walk across the stage and only one thing would have made this even sweeter.

"I just kind of wish my mom would have been able to see this," Hopple said.