Grand Jury Indicts Nine

The Breathitt County Grand Jury met on Tuesday, January 6, and returned indictments against nine individuals for a variety of charges

Matthew Szabo, of Sewell Street in Jackson, was indicted on one count of Possession of a Controlled Substance - Methamphetamine in the First Degree, First Offense, “when he knowingly or unlawfully possessed a quantity of Methamphetamine, a controlled substance” on or about March 8, 2025.

He was also charged with one count of Possession of Drug Paraphernalia (needles, a torch, a tie-off band, a clear pipe, a straw, and multiple small baggies with clear crystal substance inside) and one count of Operating Non-Motor Vehicle Under Influence of Intoxicants when he was arrested while riding a bicycle on the roadway, under the influence of methamphetamine by JPD Officer Jeramie Long.

A criminal summons was issued and Szabo’s arraignment is scheduled for January 23, 2026.

Woodrow Gross, Emmalena, Kentucky, was indicted on six counts related to drug trafficking.

The Grand Jury returned indictments on one count of trafficking in a Controlled Substance in the First Degree - Methamphetamine, 1st Offense, after an encounter with police on October 23, 2025.  Gross was also indicted on one count each of Trafficking in Marijuana (less than 8 oz) First Offense, Trafficking in a Controlled Substance 1st Offense - Heroin, Trafficking in a Controlled Substance First Offense - Opiates (Oxycodone), and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia (2 glass smoking pipes and 2 cut straws).

Gross was also charged with one count of being a Persistent Felony Offender in the 1st Degree, after having been previously convicted of a felony offense, based on testimony from Trooper Dawson Duff.

Bail for Gross was set at $25,000 cash.

Beatty Stacy, of Highway 476, was indicted on numerous counts following an arrest on November 25, 2025.  The Grand Jury returned a true bill on one count of Receiving Stolen Property valued at more than $1,000 and less than $10,000 (a Class D felony) when he was in possession of a stolen vehicle while knowing it was stolen.

He was also indicted on one count each of No Registration Receipt, No Registration Plates, Improper Registration Plates, Failure to Produce Insurance Card, Failure of Non-Owner Operator to Maintain Registration Insurance, Operating on Suspended or Revoked License, and Failure to Register Transfer of Motor Vehicle, based on witness testimony by Trooper Dennis Howard.

A criminal summons was issued by the court, and Stacy is scheduled to appear in Circuit Court on January 23 for arraignment.

Aaron Fugate, Darb Fork in Perry County, was indicted by the Breathitt County Grand Jury on one count of Trafficking in Marijuana (less than five pounds), First Offense, after he was arrested by Jackson Police Officer Jeramie Long on or about September 18, 2025.

The charge is a Class D Felony, and Fugate’s bail was set at $500 Cash.

Two individuals were indicted following a traffic stop on July 8, 2025.

Rosa Ellis, Dayton, Ohio, was indicted on one count each of Importing Carfentanil, Fentanyl, or Fentanyl Derivatives (a Class C Felony) after she allegedly “knowingly and unlawfully transported a quantity of fentanyl into the Commonwealth, with intent to sell.”

The Grand Jury also indicted Ellis on one count of Trafficking in a Controlled Substance First Degree, First Offense - Fentanyl (a Class C Felony), one count of Trafficking in a Controlled Substance First Degree, First Offense - Methamphetamine, and Trafficking in a Controlled Substance, First Degree, First Offense - Cocaine.

Ellis was also indicted on one count each of Improper Display of Registration and Careless Driving based on testimony by Trooper Matt Day.

Her passenger, Michael Slone, of Mooresburg, Tennessee, was indicted on one count each of Importing Carfentanil, Fentanyl, or Fentanyl Derivatives (a Class C Felony) after he allegedly “knowingly and unlawfully transported a quantity of fentanyl into the Commonwealth, with intent to sell.”

The Grand Jury also indicted Slone on one count of Trafficking in a Controlled Substance First Degree, First Offense – Fentanyl (a Class C Felony), one count of Trafficking in a Controlled Substance First Degree, First Offense - Methamphetamine, and Trafficking in a Controlled Substance, First Degree, First Offense - Cocaine based on testimony by Trooper Matt Day.

Bail for both Rosa Ellis and Michael Slone was set at $50,000 cash.

David Fletcher, of Morgue Fork Road, was indicted on one count of Terroristic Threatening in the Second Degree, a class D Felony, after he “knowingly and unlawfully” stated and threatened “to shoot up” the Kentucky River Medical Center, on or about November 15, 2025.

He was also indicted on one count of Resisting Arrest, a class A misdemeanor, when he intentionally attempted to prevent a peace officer from making an arrest, according to testimony from KSP Trooper Dennis Howard.

Bail for Fletcher was set at $10,000 Cash.

Marsha Jett, Quicksand Road, was indicted on one count of Perjury in the First Degree, after she allegedly committed the offense of Perjury, a Class D felony, when she knowingly and unlawfully made a false statement on or about September 11, 2025, through September 24, 2025, against Melanie Stevens while they were both under oath.

Detective Eric Caldwell presented information to the Breathitt County Grand Jury. 

Judge Lisa Whisman issued a Criminal Summons for Jett, who is scheduled to be arraigned on January 23.

Paula Warner, of Bowling Creek Road, was indicted on one count of Possession of a Controlled Substance in the First Degree - Methamphetamine after “knowingly and unlawfully possessed a quantity” of meth and one count of Possession of Drug Paraphernalia following an arrest by JPD officer Jeramie Long on or about July 27, 2025.  Warner is accused of possessing “a cut straw with residue.”

A criminal summons was issued, and Warner is scheduled to appear in Breathitt Circuit Court on January 23, 2026.

An indictment is the formal charging of a crime.  Guilt or innocence will be determined by a jury.