Video summary
A Huntington man named Dante Hendricks has been sentenced to five years in federal prison for trafficking fentanyl into Pike County. The 30-year-old admitted to possessing over 40 grams of the drug with the intent to distribute after police stopped his vehicle last February and subsequently located him on Ratliff's Creek Road, where they seized more than 103 grams of fentanyl along with nearly $1,000 in cash. Although Hendricks faced a potential sentence of up to forty years, he received the minimum term under his plea agreement; however, he retains the right to appeal regarding a judge's earlier decision denying his request to suppress evidence from the traffic stop.
At Dewey Lake within Jenny Wiley State Resort Park, locals recently expressed concern after seeing reddish dye used in the water, but this was actually part of an effort to treat Hydrilla, an invasive plant species that has resurged there for the first time in eighteen years. Kelly Scott, a biology teacher and biologist involved with the issue, explained that while Hydrilla provides necessary cover for young fish, it spreads easily when boaters transport spores or plants from one lake to another without properly cleaning their equipment. The plant thrives because it lacks natural predators in these areas, leading to uncontrolled growth, especially given the lake's shallow depths caused by years of mining and silt runoff which create ideal conditions for its proliferation alongside other invasive species like zebra mussels.
To combat this ecological challenge, the US Army Corps of Engineers is utilizing harmless dye to track water flow patterns while implementing treatment strategies that address both the Hydrilla blooms and the massive infestations of zebra mussels found on lake rocks during winter drawdowns. While some argue that certain invasive plants offer benefits like hiding spots for juvenile fish, experts emphasize that treating only one aspect of the problem is insufficient; a comprehensive approach must also tackle the shallow water conditions caused by sedimentation and the cleaning effects of too many zebra mussels which contribute to clear but imbalanced waters. The situation highlights how accidental introductions or well-intentioned planting efforts can disrupt local ecosystems when non-native species arrive without natural controls, creating complex environmental issues that require multi-faceted solutions beyond simple chemical treatments.
The broadcast also covered several other community updates including a free hunter education course starting August 29th at the Pike County Extension Office for anyone aged twelve and older who wishes to legally harvest game in Kentucky. This four-to-five-hour class covers firearm safety, first aid, hunting ethics, and animal processing, with instructors noting that high demand often leads to fully registered classes before they even begin due to the importance of preventing traffic accidents caused by overpopulated deer herds in areas without active hunting pressure. Additionally, local sports fans were updated on upcoming soccer seasons for area teams and learned that the University of Pikeville football team is considered a preseason favorite to win the AAC championship this season, while promotional segments highlighted new technology deals from Appalachian Wireless aimed at helping students and teachers stay connected before the school year begins.
Read the full video transcript
A Huntington man is sentenced for
delivering fentanyl to Pike County and
we'll learn about an invasive plant that
is causing problems at Dewey Lake. I'm
Jerry Scott and this is the Mountain Top
Daily.
>> [music]
>> A Huntington man has been sentenced to 5
years in federal prison for trafficking
fentanyl into Pike County. 30-year-old
Dante Hendricks admitted possessing more
than 40 grams of fentanyl with the
intent to distribute after Pikeville
police stopped his vehicle in February
of last year. Acting on a tip, officers
located Hendricks on Ratliff's Creek
Road and with the help of the Floyd
County Sheriff's Office canine seized
more than 103 grams of fentanyl and
nearly 1,000 in cash.
Hendricks faced up to 40 years in prison
but received the minimum 5-year
sentence. Under his plea agreement, he
can still appeal a judge's decision
denying his request to suppress the
evidence from the traffic stop.
Photos of a reddish dye being used at
Dewey Lake in Jenny Wiley State Resort
Park cause some concern among locals who
were unsure what it was. As it turns
out, it is part of the process for
treating an invasive plant species that
is seeing a resurgence at the lake after
being under control for nearly two
decades. Jackson spoke with a biologist
to learn more about the problem.
>> The invasive species hydrilla is seeing
a major resurgence in Dewey Lake for the
first time in 18 years. Biology teacher
Kelly Scott tells us more.
>> A hydrilla is found in most every single
lake. Um, it does provide good cover for
the fish because when fish are young,
they need to have cover. But what
happens is when someone is going fishing
at various different lakes, they get
spores, they get plants, they get other
things in the water.
Um, and then when they do not release
the water at the lake that they're at
from their boat, and they release it um,
either at the ramp or in the water when
they get onto another lake, then we see
how that can easily start a bloom cuz
there's no other competitor for it, and
then there's nothing that is going to
feed on it.
Um invasive species are plants and
animals that are not native to an area,
but are brought in.
90% of the time it is an accidental
bring in,
but then sometimes people bring plants
in and think it would be beautiful, and
they're doing a good job,
you know, trying to make a difference,
but then it comes back that it's not cuz
if anything is not native to an area,
um they do not have natural predators,
so there's nothing to control the
growth.
>> Dewey Lake is currently a prime spot for
hydrilla to grow. The US Army Corps of
Engineers are working to treat the
species by tracking the flow of water
using a harmless dye.
>> Um with hydrilla, we see that it has to
have
shallow water, which Dewey Lake is very
shallow due to years of mining and silt
runoff. Um another problem that we see
with the hydrilla on Jenny Wiley is the
large amount of zebra mussels that are
found at Jenny Wiley and Dewey Lake.
Um they are also an invasive species. Um
if you've ever been to the lake in the
winter when they do the drawdown and you
look at any of the rocks, you've got
hundreds of thousands that have
attached, and they attach themselves all
over. Um they are, you know, they do
clean the water, which is a a good
thing, but when you have so many of
them,
so you've got zebra mussels that are
cleaning the water, you've got clear
water, you've got hydrilla, and you have
shallow, you just have a mix of bad
things going on.
Um it's nice that we saw the colors in
the lake to track how the lake flows.
Um it was nothing that was toxic. It
just It had to be done to see what is
going to happen. But, just treating
hydrilla is not going to cause the
problem to go away. We also need to
address the shallow lake, and we also
need to address zebra mussels. Um, you
know, some hydrilla is a good thing
because those babies have to have some
place to hide.
>> We reached out to Jenny Wiley State
Resort Park and Floyd County Fish and
Wildlife and were unable to get a
statement. Reporting from Mountain Top
News, I'm Jackson Lucas.
Coming up after the break, we'll tell
you about a hunter education course
being held in Pikeville later this
month. That's coming up when The
Mountain Top Daily continues. But first,
sports and weather.
>> Ooh, happy Monday. Time to get things
started.
How's it going, sports fans? Cody "The
Professor" Davis here with you Mountain
Top Sports Recap, and let's just jump
into it. First up, sports are back. Many
area teams are slated [music] to begin
soccer seasons night, and questions
remain on how well the new KHSAA
scoreboard [music] system will work.
With arbiters set to take the reins,
we'll see. But, you can count on
Mountain Top Sports to keep you updated
with all the latest sports information
all season long. [music]
We're your home for local sports.
In college news, big one here. [music]
The University of Pikeville football
team has been depicted as the preseason
favorite to win the AAC championship
this season. The Bears are followed by
[music] Reinhardt, then Kentucky
Christian, Bluefield, Point, Union
Commonwealth, and the University of Rio
Grande is in last [music] place. I love
that one. We wish the Bears the best of
[music] luck this season.
That's going to do it for today, sports
fans. I'm Cody "The Professor" Davis,
and as always,
thanks for watching.
>> Ned Pillersdorf fights for the underdog
in courtrooms where he advocates for the
most vulnerable
and in classrooms [music] where at-risk
kids get a second chance.
Ned doesn't just talk about things. Ned
shows up and people notice.
He's the best pro bono attorney [music]
in the nation.
Now, he's bringing his fight to
Washington.
>> I'm Ned Pillersdorf and I approve this
message.
>> Pop quiz, Appalachia. What's one thing
every student, and let's be honest,
every teacher needs before heading back
to school? If you said a new phone, a
tablet, or a smart watch from
Appalachian Wireless, well, [music] you
passed. Whether you're heading to the
classroom, the office, or campus, with
incredible back-to-school deals on the
latest devices to help you stay
connected all year long. But, don't
wait. School will be here before you
know it, and these deals, they won't
last forever. So, stop by your nearest
Appalachian Wireless retail location
today or find out more at
AppalachianWireless.com, because we have
more reasons to switch and more ways to
save, because we are Appalachian
Wireless.
>> A hunter education course coming up at
the Pike County Extension Office will
help get hunters ready in time for fall.
Nit brings us the details.
>> The Pike County Extension Office will be
offering free hunter education safety
courses throughout the next few months,
beginning August 29th. The class will be
required for anyone age 12 and older to
harvest a game in the state and will
cover the basics of firearm safety, as
well as general hunting lessons.
Kentucky [snorts] Department of Fish and
Game Instructor Robert Helvey tells us
more.
>> It's offered to the community. It's no
charge. Uh it's a requirement for kids
12 years and older to have it uh to to
legally harvest game in in Kentucky.
You got You have to have a hunter safety
course. The class is kind of developed
around hunter safety,
um firearm safety, general first aid.
It's a lot of general information, but
it covers quite a bit of stuff. Uh the
class usually takes about
4 hours, 4 to 5 hours to take.
Uh we we're partnering with the
extension office here in Paintsville.
Great class, great opportunity to to get
together and talk about hunter ethics,
uh
is you know, harvesting animals, um
process a little bit about processing
animals,
um
but uh just a lot of general
information.
>> Spots for registration are still
available and more info is available by
calling the extension office at
606-432-2534.
Staff at the office will consider
scheduling more classes during open
hunting seasons.
>> A lot of times deer deer's a really good
example why traffic accidents usually go
up in areas where there's not a lot of
hunting, not a lot of game that's taken
out of the the environment, so it
usually
ends up causing, you know, problems with
the traffic accidents and stuff like
that and uh overfeeding. Appalachia's
pretty much founded on hunting. Um uh
you know, we've
beagles, rabbit hunting, coons, uh
a lot of hunting focus, a lot of out or
activities, fishing. The last class that
we had uh was full. We had 47 uh people
registered for it and I think there's
42 registered for the August 29th class.
>> Reporting from Mountain Top News, I'm
Nick Collam.
>> That will do it for this edition of the
Mountain Top Daily. Be sure to check us
out at 6:00 p.m. every weekday on
Mountain Top TV, the Mountain Top TV
app, and the Mountain Top News Facebook
page. With your Mountain Top Daily, I'm
Jerry Scott for Mountain Top News.