Three suspects have been arrested in connection to the shooting death of Caneyville resident Johnnie Hayes.
According to Ohio County Sheriff Tracy Beatty, after multiple interviews and reviewing a report from the Medical Examiner’s Office in Madisonville, authorities have confirmed that Hayes was shot twice with a small caliber weapon.
Beattty said a home security video system recovered at a residence near 33 Bluff Street in Rosine (where Hayes, 59, was found deceased in a vehicle), confirmed statements obtained during the investigation.
After reviewing evidence collected during the investigation, the Ohio County Sheriff’s Office charged 30-year-old Adam Lacefield, of Caneyville, with first-degree assault, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, tampering with physical evidence, possession of a controlled substance, being a persistent felony offender, failure to report a dead body, and possession of drug paraphernalia.
According to Kentucky Revised Statutes, a person is guilty of first-degree assault when: (a) He intentionally causes serious physical injury to another person by means of a deadly weapon or a dangerous instrument; or (b) Under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to the value of human life he wantonly engages in conduct which creates a grave risk of death to another and thereby causes serious physical injury to another person.
First-degree assault is a class B felony, punishable by up to 20-years in prison. Lacefield’s criminal history is extensive, and includes being accused of kidnapping and robbing his then-girlfriend’s mother in September 2017, just outside of Beaver Dam.
Police also arrested and charged Wanda Ferguson, 39, who at one time lived with Hayes at his Richland Road residence. She was charged with tampering with physical evidence, possession of a controlled substance, failure to report a dead body, and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Ferguson was living with Hayes in November when both were shot as they chased two men in a vehicle who were trying to break into Hayes’ Richland Road residence. But according to a law enforcement source, Ferguson recently left Hayes and had become involved with Lacefield.
Mandy Decker, 40, of Beaver Dam, was arrested and charged with tampering with physical evidence, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.
All three suspects are being held in the Ohio County Detention Center.
In addition to the November shooting of Hayes and Ferguson, in early December Hayes found an explosive device in his barn. The KSP Bomb Squad was dispatched to the scene and detonated the device.
The investigation is ongoing and additional charges are possible, according to police.
UPDATE (1/22): Lacefield’s first-degree assault charge was upgraded to a murder charge.
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com or 270-259-6000
