Video summary
The episode opens with a harrowing domestic dispute in Paintsville that escalated into a dangerous manhunt involving booby traps and homemade explosives. The incident began when Officer Nathan Collins heard his neighbor screaming for help as he was leaving for work, only to witness a male suspect beating a woman while holding a bottle rigged with wires. When the officer approached, the suspect fled into the woods, where law enforcement discovered fishing lines strung between trees with hooks attached at eye level, designed to injure pursuers. Upon intercepting the 47-year-old fugitive, Robert Smith, on Route 40, he resisted arrest, used profanity, and assaulted an officer before being detained.
Authorities secured the residence and evacuated nearby residents after finding more than three homemade explosive devices inside the home. Following the discovery of these threats, officials contacted the FBI, who sent an agent from Pikeville to coordinate with the bomb squad for disarmament. Smith, who is already a fugitive from Tennessee with a history of violent arrests for assault and resisting arrest, was taken into custody at the Big Sandy Regional Detention Center. The female victim was transported to UK Medical Center in stable condition, while federal agents collected evidence from the devices to determine if federal prosecution would be pursued alongside state charges.
In a separate legal update, Brandon Scott Sumner, a Perry County resident previously convicted of child sexual abuse and possession of child pornography in 2020, has been arrested again for uploading sexually explicit images of minors online. Although he received a five-year suspended sentence in his prior case after pleading guilty to one count each of first-degree sexual abuse and possessing child pornography, investigators found him with additional charges pending. Sumner is currently being held at the Kentucky River Regional Jail while electronic devices seized from his residence are examined by the KSP Forensic Laboratory for further evidence gathering.
The broadcast concludes with community-focused segments, including a sports recap highlighting upcoming football games and a promotion for Appalachian Wireless. A significant portion of the final segment is dedicated to a fundraiser called "Angels for Axel," scheduled for Saturday at the Knott County Sportsplex to support four-year-old Axel Combs, who is battling T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The event invites owners of cars, ATVs, and side-by-sides to pay an entry fee, with the young patient himself selecting the winners in various categories. The family hopes the gathering will also feature a scenic cruise around Car Fork Lake, providing both financial relief for ongoing medical treatments and a supportive community environment for Axel and his siblings.
Read the full video transcript
A domestic dispute turns into an
investigation into booby traps and
explosive devices. And a Perry County
sex offender is arrested again on child
porn charges. I'm Jerry Scott and this
is the Mountain Top Daily.
What began as an investigation into a
domestic dispute overheard by a
Paintsville police officer as he left
home Thursday night turned into a
pursuit through a booby-trapped forest
and the discovery of explosives inside a
home. Robin spoke with Paintsville
police about this incident.
>> As he was about to leave for work last
night, Paintsville police officer Nathan
Collins heard one of his female
neighbors screaming for help.
>> He observed a male subject
appeared to have some kind of uh
extension cord or some kind of weapon uh
beating this woman up and down her body.
He also observed the male subject
that had was holding a bottle in his
hand that had wires coming out the top
of it. When he saw the officer coming up
the driveway, he ran into the woods.
Uh as we were attempting to pursue the
male subject, we encountered uh booby
traps. And And what I mean by that is he
had taken fishing line
and spread them across the trees about
eye level and had tied fishing hooks to
them.
>> According to the citation, the man,
47-year-old Robert Smith, was
intercepted on Route 40 where he
resisted arrest, spewed obscenities, and
assaulted an officer before being
detained.
>> My officers were still at the scene as
we went back to the residence. We
observed uh more than one of these
homemade uh bombs, we'll say. The
Kentucky We secured the area, got
everybody
in the close proximity of the residence
out out of the area.
Got everybody out of the residence, uh
contacted the touch state, please, who
in turn
uh
contacted the Federal Bureau of
Investigations.
Uh
we had an agent come down from
Pikeville.
Uh once he arrived at the scene
and investigated, he contacted the bomb
squad, and they came in and disarmed all
the devices. There was approximately
three devices discovered.
>> Prior to this incident, Smith already
had an extensive record.
>> He is actually a fugitive out of the
state of Tennessee. He's He's had He's
been arrested multiple times, and
they're They've all been violent in
nature, assault charges and resisting
arrest, charges of that nature.
>> The female victim was flown to UK
Medical Center and is listed in stable
condition. Smith is being held at the
Big Sandy Regional Detention Center.
>> After speaking with the
Federal Bureau of Investigation agent in
charge,
uh they they obtained the evidence from
the devices last night. They're going to
speak with the US attorney
and see if they want to federally
prosecute him also.
>> Reporting from Mountain Top News, I'm
Robin Tillman.
>> A Perry County man who pleaded guilty to
child sexual abuse and possession of
child pornography in 2020, but served no
jail time, has been arrested again on
child pornography charges.
32-year-old Brandon Scott Sumner was
arrested Thursday after Kentucky State
Police say an investigation found him
uploading sexually explicit images of
juveniles online. Investigators searched
a Scudy residence and seized electronic
devices that will be examined by the KSP
Forensic Laboratory. Sumner is charged
with 20 counts of possessing matter
portraying a minor under 12 in a sexual
performance. Additional charges are
possible.
Sumner was previously arrested in 2019
after a woman found her 7-year-old son
in bed with Sumner. He was indicted on
19 counts of first-degree sexual abuse
and 199 counts of possessing child
pornography. In 2020, Sumner pleaded
guilty to one count of each offense
while the remaining charges were
dismissed. Court records show he
received a 5-year suspended sentence.
Sumner is being held in the Kentucky
River Regional Jail.
Coming up after the break,
we'll tell you about a fundraiser for a
little boy with leukemia. That's coming
up when the Mountain Top Daily
continues. But first, sports and
weather.
>> What's your favorite Sugar Love candy?
>> Uh I really love Polynesian Punch. It's
like a blend of pineapple and actually I
can't tell you what's in it, it's a
secret.
How's it going everyone? I'm Destiny
Thowdy and this is your Mountain Top
Sports Recap. It's Friday, so that means
it's football time in the mountains and
we have you covered. Tune in to WXCC
96.5 FM tonight to hear the action when
Belfry travels to Johnson Central.
Meanwhile, on WDHR 93.1, you can hear
Pikeville and Raceland. Mountain Top
Sports will also have photos from the
game later that night, so be sure to
stay tuned to our social media.
Then, don't forget tomorrow is the start
of football season for the UK Wildcats.
Tune in at 1:00 p.m. on WDHR 93.1 FM for
UK versus Youngstown State. Want to
watch the game on TV? No problem. We
encourage everyone to use radio audio
over top of the TV video so you can hear
your favorite game caller Tom Leach.
It's going to be a good one and we will
get to see what this new era of Will
Stein football looks like. This has been
your Mountain Top Sports Recap. For the
latest in sports, be sure to follow
Mountain Top Sports on Facebook,
Instagram, and X or visit
mountain-top-sports.com.
That's it for me. See you next time.
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>> Car shows are always a popular
attraction, but one coming up tomorrow
has a special purpose. The Angels for
Axel car show at the Knott County
Sportsplex will raise money for a young
boy who is battling leukemia, and Axel
will be picking the winners himself.
Connor tells us all about it.
>> Coming Saturday, the 5th, at the Knott
County Sportsplex, will be the Angels
for Axel event. The event is being held
to raise money to support Axel, the
4-year-old son of Sasha and Bailey
Combs, who is suffering from leukemia.
Here is Sasha to tell us more.
>> Last April, like we had went on a family
vacation to Florida.
Um Axel was 2 at the time, and then
Bennett was 1.
And while we were down there, he had got
really sick. So, we had to cancel the ER
down there.
And that's how we had figured out that
he had cancer. He had T-cell
ALL, which is leukemia. He is doing
better since diagnosis last April.
Um but he's still in active cancer
treatment. Um he'll be getting chemo and
cancer treatment um at the minimum for
the next year still. So, he still have
to go Cincinnati multiple times a month.
Um this car show is a fundraiser for him
and his medical expenses. But where it's
outside, his oncology team felt okay um
with them participating. So, this is
like the actual first fundraiser that
they'll actually be attending.
>> The event invites everyone with an old
car, ATV, or side-by-side to come out
and raise money for Axel. Entry will be
$20 a vehicle and it will begin at 11:00
a.m. and go till everyone is done. Here
is Axel's father, Bailey, to tell us
more about the show.
>> And it's not just a car show.
Not everybody has an old car.
So, I was like, "Well, make it a car,
ATV, and bike show." You know,
everybody's got an ATV, everybody's got
a side-by-side. So, why not? You know,
donations are always accepted, you know.
Um there'll be an entry fee, you know,
if you
So, there'll be an entry fee for an
awards.
Um 20 I think I put 20 bucks a car, I
think. Everything that gets in it.
There's going to be some awards. So,
like there'll be an an Axel's pick and
there'll be a Bennett's pick. It'll be
in three different categories.
Obviously, be the side-by-side, the
bike, and the cars. So, everybody in
each class will get an award and that's
the only ones that we'll do. You know,
let him pick the winners. Let his little
brother pick the winners. Hopefully, for
a good turnout, you know. Hoping to
start having everybody come through here
starting to roll in probably about
around 11:00.
I mean, we could run it as long as
people wants to stay. I mean, we haven't
decided an end date an end time really
yeah
it's just
people want to start leaving they can
but you know at the end we thought about
having people do like a little cruise
maybe I haven't thought of it I thought
of a couple destinations starting from
here maybe go to the marina at Car Fork
Lake
or at the dam and we follow behind or go
in front and stop and take a group
picture you know.
So everybody likes to cruise everybody
likes to ride and you know why not ride
around Car Fork Lake.
>> Reporting for Mountain Talk News I'm
Connor Kidd.
>> That will do it for this edition of the
Mountain Talk Daily. Be sure to check us
out at 6:00 p.m. every weekday on
Mountain Talk TV, the Mountain Talk TV
app and the Mountain Talk News Facebook
page. With your Mountain Talk Daily I'm
Jerry Scott for Mountain Talk News.