Video summary
The primary focus of this news segment concerns the legal proceedings surrounding the murder case of Amber Sprdlin, where the main suspect, twenty-six-year-old MK McKenna, is requesting a significant reduction in his bond and permission to leave home incarceration for work. His attorney, Steven Romines, has filed a motion arguing that recent DNA testing results have weakened the prosecution's case, as the latest report found no DNA belonging to McKenna on the items tested. McKenna faces charges related to the June 2023 stabbing death of Sprdlin, who was discovered inside her father's home after an overnight party, along with additional accusations of evidence tampering involving two other individuals. The defense is seeking to lower his bond from five million dollars to just over one million, a request that will be reviewed at the next hearing scheduled for September 17th.
In local law enforcement news, K9 Bear played a crucial role in capturing Joshua Jagger Bevans, a twenty-one-year-old wanted for fleeing police and other crimes connected to a stolen dirt bike investigation in Pikeville. When deputies arrived at a residence in Harold looking for Bevans, he attempted to escape by jumping onto the recovered stolen bike and riding away. Although the bike was later found abandoned, officers utilized K9 Bear to track Bevans through nearby brush and thickets until the dog caught up with him and bit his forearm, allowing police to take him into custody. Bevans is currently charged with fleeing police, wanted endangerment, criminal mischief, and resisting arrest, though charges specifically related to the stolen dirt bike were not yet filed or available at the time of reporting.
The broadcast also features a sports recap highlighting Mingo Central High School's announcement that assistant volleyball coach Neil Murphy has returned to the program after a successful tenure as head coach at Gilbert. The segment promotes an upcoming premiere episode of "Sideline," a show hosted by Zack Acres and Denny Paul, which will provide updates on football action throughout the season. Viewers are invited to join the live studio audience via the Mountaintop Sports Facebook page or app, with the event taking place at Buffalo Wild Wings in Imple at 6:30 PM. Additionally, the program notes that listeners can follow Mountain Talk Sports on various social media platforms for the latest updates.
The final portion of the show celebrates National Radio Day by featuring interviews with personalities from Mountaintop Media's nine radio stations, which serve audiences from Logan, West Virginia, to Jackson, Kentucky. The discussion highlights the enduring relevance of radio, noting that it reaches nearly 80% of the population weekly and offers a unique, unscripted listening experience compared to curated digital media. Co-hosts Carolina Weatherford and Ted Meadows share their enthusiasm for their conversational morning show and its giveaways, while Jerry Scott emphasizes the special connection formed when listeners feel they know a stranger simply because they hear them daily. The segment also pays tribute to Ned Pillarsdorf, a pro bono attorney fighting for vulnerable individuals, before concluding with a promotion for Appalachian Wireless's back-to-school deals on devices like phones and tablets.
Read the full video transcript
The man charged with murdering Amber
Sprdlin asks for bond reduction and work
release. And K9 Bear helps police
capture a fleeing suspect. I'm Nick
Colum and this is the Mountaintop Daily.
The primary suspect in the Amber Bradlin
murder case is asking a judge to lower
his bond and allow him to leave home
incarceration for work. Attorney Steven
Romines filed the motion Tuesday on
behalf of 26-year-old MK McKenna. The
defense is asking that his $5 million
bond be reduced to the just over $1
million bond already posted. Romines
argues newly completed DNA testing has
weakened the case against McKenna,
noting that the latest report found no
DNA belonging to him on the items
tested.
McKenna is charged with the murder in
the June 2023 death of Sprdlin, who was
found stabbed to death inside his
father's home following an overnight
party. He and two others also face
evidence tampering charges. Roine's
motion will be considered at the next
hearing scheduled for September 17th.
Floyd County Sheriff's Office K9 Bear
helped officers capture a man wanted in
connection with a stolen dirt bike
investigation out of Pikeville.
Deputies and Pikeville police went to a
home at Harold early Thursday looking
for 21-year-old Joshua Jagger Bevans.
Police say they found the stolen dirt
bike, but Bevans jumped on it and fled.
After the bike was later found
abandoned, canine bear tracked Bevans
through nearby brush and thicket. Police
say Bear caught up with him and chomped
down on his forearm, allowing officers
to take him into custody.
Bevans is charged with fleeing police,
wanted endangerment, criminal mischief,
and resisting arrest. Charges related to
the stolen dirt bike had not been filed
or were not available at press time.
Coming up after the break, we'll go
behind the scenes for National Radio
Day. That's coming up when the
Mountaintop Daily continues. But first,
sports and weather. How's it going
everybody? I'm Garrett Markham and this
is your Mountain Top Sports Recap.
Mingo Central High School [music]
announced the return of assistant
volleyball coach Neil Murphy on
Wednesday. Murphy previously was an
assistant coach at the school before
having a successful run [music] as the
head coach at Gilbert. Mountain Talk
Sports congratulates Murphy and wishes
Mingo Central the best of luck this
season. Don't forget to join Zack Acres
and Denny Paul [music] tonight at 6:30
for the premiere episode of Sideline.
Fans can join the show via live stream
on the Mountaintop Sports Facebook and
app or by joining the crew at Buffalo
Wild Wings Imple [music]
to be part of a live studio audience.
Sideline will keep you updated on all
the football [music] action all season
long.
That's your Mountain Talk sports recap.
For the [music] latest in sports, be
sure to follow Mount Talk Sports on
Facebook, Instagram, and [music] X, or
visit mountain-hopsports.com.
[music]
Ned Pillarsdorf fights for the underdog
in courtrooms where he advocates [music]
for the most vulnerable and in
classrooms where atrisisk kids get a
second chance.
Ned [music] 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 Pillarsdorf 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
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Wireless, well, you passed. Whether
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by your nearest Appalachin Wireless
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at appalachinwireless.com because we
have more reasons to switch and more
ways to save because we are Appalachin
Wireless. Radio has been a part of
American life for more than a century.
From music and sports to news and
weather, radio has been the glue binding
American society and still is. And since
today is National Radio Day, Robin spoke
with some of the faces behind the
speakers. Today is National Radio Day,
so we sat down with some of the people
you hear on the air every day. We
started with Carolina Weatherford,
co-host of the Daybreak Morning Show.
>> It's a freeforall. No, how would I
describe the show? We have a lot of fun.
It's a very topical conversational
thing. Honestly, I love it because it
just feels like me and Ted talking and
uh listeners are just they're part of
the conversation. And uh we we do a ton
of giveaways and that's probably my
favorite thing we do. We have an
opportunity for people to win money
every single morning and we give away
tons of tickets, cash, um movie passes.
We we love to shower everybody with
gifts.
>> Ted Meadows, her co-host, didn't want to
be on camera, but couldn't help adding
to the conversation.
>> Working with me. ALWAYS WORKING WITH ME.
Jerry Scott, who entertains people on
three different stations, talked about
the impact of meeting listeners.
>> My favorite part though is when you talk
to somebody that you've never seen
before, but they listen to you and they
feel like they know you because they
hear you every day. So that to me is the
best part when you know you meet a just
a total stranger and they already feel
like they're your friend, you know,
because you're a part of their lives
every day. So getting to, you know,
experience that with people, I I think
that's my favorite part.
>> Mountaintop Media is home to nine radio
stations that stretch from Logan, West
Virginia to Jackson, Kentucky, bringing
listeners a variety of rock, pop,
Christian, country, and oldies.
>> You know, my father gets so much credit
because he started in radio in 1955 as a
dish jockey playing Bill Haley and the
Comets, Rock Around the Clock, and it he
loved it. he was in high school and it
just immediately spoke to him as
something he wanted to do. So he worked
his way up through sales into management
and then into ownership and he slowly
started amassing radio stations. And
then over the years I began to branch us
out from radio into television and video
and digital and print and all media. But
radio is still the foundation and it's
still the most important part of our
business even though many people don't
realize it. So why is radio still
relevant today?
>> AMFM radio still reaches almost 80% of
the population on a weekly basis.
>> It's the truest form of communication.
And it's also that sense too of you know
nowadays you can just kind of pick what
you want to hear. With radio you've got
that thrill of you don't know what's
coming up. So I I you know I I miss that
in this day and age and I think a lot of
other people do too. So that's why radio
is always going to be around.
>> It's an old medium. It's been around for
over a hundred years and it has evolved.
Radio's not going anywhere.
>> Reporting for Mountaintop News, I'm
Robin Tilman.
>> That will do it for this edition of the
Mountaintop Daily. Be sure to check us
out at 6 p.m. every weekday on
Mountaintop TV, the Mountaintop TV app,
and the Mountaintop News Facebook page.
With your Mountaintop Daily, I'm Nick
Colum for Mountaintop News.