By Dennis Brown

Lewis County Fiscal Court met in continued session last week and approved the renewal of health insurance for county employees and the purchase of an excavator for the road department. The meeting was a continuation of the regular session on June 8.

Magistrates approved renewing health insurance coverage at a cost of $560.36 per month for each employee on the plan. Currently there are 21 employees who receive health insurance coverage through the county.

Employees on the plan will contribute about $141.00 each per month while the county pays $420.00. That amounts to about $105,000 in annual contributions by the county with the current enrollment of 21.

County Treasurer Kathy Dillow said the rate has increased by about eight percent over the previous year.

Steve Calvert, representing Colonial Life Insurance, was on hand to address magistrates and asked them to consider a supplemental health insurance plan through his company to help “take up the gaps” in insurance coverage for employees on the plan.

Calvert said he has worked with other counties and cities around the Commonwealth to provide additional coverage for employees at a minimal cost, sometimes saving money overall.

Calvert said by raising the deductible on the health insurance would lower the premium there, and the supplemental insurance provided by Colonial Life would cover the deductible cost for employees.

Calvert said his company has been providing such coverage since 1937. He distributed information to the county officials who said they would look over the information and take the matter up at a future meeting.

Magistrates approved the purchase of an excavator from

E&E Construction for $17,925. Road Foreman Dane Howard said the county has been renting the equipment from E&E for the past six months and the company has agreed to allow rent money already paid to them to go toward the purchase price of the machine.

Howard said the equipment will be needed for upcoming projects and the cost to rent the excavator will exceed the purchase price. He said the machine is in good condition and has been well maintained.

Magistrates also approved a Taser and OC Spray Policy for the Lewis County Detention Center.

Judge Executive Steve Applegate said the need for the policy was brought to light by a state official who recently visited the detention center for an inspection. He added the policy needed to be in place by July 3.

Magistrates gave preliminary approval of the policy pending the review and approval by County Attorney Clayton Lykins Jr.

In other business magistrates approved pass-through grant funding for MedCorp Ambulance and Tollesboro Lions Club.

The funds must go through fiscal court and on to the recipient. Funding of $10,169 will be going to MedCorp Ambulance pending receipt of purchase and a total of $75,000 will be going to the Tollesboro Lions Club for use on their fairgrounds and park areas.

Magistrates also approved the acknowledgement of receipt of the Lewis County Public Health Taxing District Annual Budget for fiscal year 2009-10.

Visitors to the Lewis County Courthouse will notice a new memorial area for members of the Lewis County Sheriff’s Department who have died in the line of duty.

Sheriff Bill Lewis said Crystal Dyer has spend numerous hours researching and compiling information and working with the families of the fallen officers to have their names included on the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington D.C. and the Kentucky Law Enforcement Memorial in Richmond.

Lewis said he thought it was fitting to also have the local memorial to honor those officers who gave their lives while serving the citizens of Lewis County. The memorial is located just outside the Sheriff’s Office on the first floor of the Lewis County Courthouse.

“It’s the first thing people see when they come in the front door,” Lewis said. “It is a tribute to those officers and a reminder that each time a law officer puts on his uniform that he will be putting himself in a position that he could be harmed while doing his job.”

Lewis said the efforts to compile the information and complete the required applications to have the local deputies’ names included on the state and national memorials have been ongoing for several years and the local memorial has just recently been completed.

He praised Dyer for her efforts in gathering complete and accurate information and working with the families of the officers in an attempt to include some personal information about the officers in the official paperwork.

Four officers are honored and the stories behind each are as diverse as the officers themselves and the citizens with whom they were in contact each day.

John Randolph Ruggles was in his late 20s when he died in 1878 while assisting with the apprehension of a notorious gang at Concord.

According to the official description of the circumstances, the Lewis County Sheriff’s Department and a posse were attempting to arrest the Jesse Underwood Gang at Concord on January 7, 1878.

At about 7:00 p.m. on that date, Deputy Sheriff Ruggles was shot with a handgun by Jesse Underwood and died instantly. Members of the Underwood Gang were known horse thieves and were wanted in several jurisdictions, according to the paperwork.

Although no death certificate was available, a paper written by Dr. William Talley was attached to the officer data form submitted to the national organization. An article from the Cincinnati Inquirer detailing the event was sent along with the paperwork.

Ruggles was single at the time of his death and had been in law enforcement for about three years.

Creed John Johnson, 51, died as the result of injuries sustained on October 31, 1952, when he was shot with a shotgun by a mentally ill subject while attempting to apprehend him and take him into custody.

According to paperwork filed with the officer data form, Sheriff Ray E. Cooper and Johnson were attempting to take the subject into custody when Johnson approached the house to throw a teargas bomb through the window. Johnson was shot and Sheriff Cooper was injured in the incident. The incident happened about 6:00 p.m. on Salt Lick Road west of Vanceburg.

Johnson was married and had been in law enforcement for nearly three years when the incident occurred.

Oza Bentle Moore, 28, was traveling on his motorcycle from the Lewis County Sheriff’s Department to serve a legal process when his motorcycle collided with a bus near Ironton, Ohio. The accident happened about 10:00 a.m. on August 15, 1931, according to paperwork. Moore was taken to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Moore was divorced and had two children at the time of his death. He had been in law enforcement for about 21 months when the accident occurred.

James Owens, 46, died on election day, November 6, 1928, following an incident at Raccoon School, the polling location for Emerson residents.

According to information submitted with the officer data form, Owens was on duty at the school when a fight broke out between two boys in their late teens.

The information indicates Owens broke up the fight and was escorting one of the boys off the premises when the boy’s father came from behind and struck Owens in the back of the head with a wagon iron. Before Owens fell, he turned and fired his pistol at the man, the bullet striking him in the mouth. Another man then allegedly picked up the pistol and shot Owens in the back.

Owens was married and had seven children at the time of his death. He had been in law enforcement for nearly three years when the incident happened.

Lewis said he is proud to help bring recognition to the fallen officers and invites residents to stop by to see the memorial.

“This is the history of the department. It is important to remember those who have served the citizens of Lewis County and it’s important that we honor them for the sacrifice they made,” Lewis said.