News from Zombie High
Wednesday, March 9, 5:30 am
by Jessie Lilley

According to the very helpful gentleman named David Hunt, Winchester’s Circuit Court Clerk, Mr. Poole definitely has a lawyer. The attorney of record is Ms. Jennifer Hall though at the preliminary hearing he was represented by Mr. Brian Barker. Mr. Hunt confirms that William Poole is charged with the second class D felony of KRS (Kentucky Revised Statue) 508.078. The text of said statute is as follows:

Kentucky Revised Statutes:
508.078 TERRORISTIC THREATENING IN THE SECOND DEGREE

(1) A person is guilty of terroristic threatening in the second degree when, other than as provided in KRS 508.075, he or she intentionally: (a) With respect to a school function, threatens to commit any act likely to result in death or serious physical injury to any student group, teacher, volunteer worker, or employee of a public or private elementary or secondary school, vocational school, or institution of postsecondary education, or to any other person reasonably expected to lawfully be on school property or at a school-sanctioned activity, if the threat is related to their employment by a school, or work or attendance at school, or a school function. A threat directed at a person or persons or at a school does not need to identify a specific person or persons or school in order for a violation of this section to occur; (b) Makes false statements that he or she has placed a weapon of mass destruction at any location other than one specified in KRS 508.075; or (c) Without lawful authority places a counterfeit weapon of mass destruction at any location other than one specified in KRS 508.075.

(2) A counterfeit weapon of mass destruction is placed with lawful authority if it is placed as part of an official training exercise by a public servant, as defined in KRS 522.010.

(3) A person is not guilty of commission of an offense under this section if he or she, innocently and believing the information to be true, communicates a threat made by another person to school personnel, a peace officer, a law enforcement agency, a public agency involved in emergency response, or a public safety answering point and identifies the person from whom the threat was communicated, if known.

(4) Terroristic threatening in the second degree is a Class D felony.

Mr. Hunt has informed me that the Grand Jury doesn’t publish a calendar in Kentucky so we don’t know how long it will be before said body decides whether to indict or acquit. Mr. Hunt provided me with the telephone number to call to speak with Jennifer Hall. I called and was informed that she was not available.

I then asked for Brian Barker. The woman asked me to hold and when she came back on the line she had a message for me from Mr. Barker. It was that he could not comment as this was Ms. Hall’s case. I asked the obvious question, “When may I contact Ms. Hall?” It was then that I found that learned counsel is on vacation until March 17. Presumably Mr. Poole shall sit in jail until either his lawyer returns to her duties or the Grand Jury sits. I did not get the name of the woman on the phone, but she suggested that I speak with another lawyer there, presumably one higher up the ladder and I said I’d like that very much and would be happy to leave my number. She then asked what kind of questions I wanted to ask.

Well, I’d like to know why he’s still in jail. Hasn’t anyone been able to bail him out? Also, when may we read this story that has landed him in the big house anyway? Who can provide me with a copy of the “evidence?” Why was Ms. Hall assigned this case when she was going to be vacationing for a couple of weeks? Was she even there when the case was assigned? Why isn’t she there preparing a defense? The telephone woman bristled and suggested that I was “making it sound” as if Mr. Poole were being horribly mistreated.

I pointed out that I’d said nothing of the kind. I only want answers to the questions I’d just posed. She said I’d have to wait and talk to Krista. (Christa?) She took my number, confirmed my name and that of Mondo Cult and asked that I spell it so she had it correctly.

“M-o-n-d-o. C-u-l-t.”

“Mondo.”

“Yes. Mondo means world.”

“Oh.” 

I asked if Krista/Christa had a last name. My contact in the Public Defender’s office said, “No.” 

“No?” I asked laughing. 

“No.” And then she hung up.

And so I’m waiting to hear from Krista/Christa, she of no last name.

Meantime, I've found a discrepancy regarding Mr. Poole's arrest date. WTVQ 36 in Lexington reports that Poole was arrested on February 22. Other sources report the date as March 1. I've called (again) to confirm the date with Winchester PD. The dispatcher doesn't have the information and forwarded my call to Detective Caudill's voice mail. I left a message but the Police Chief hasn't called me back since 1 PM yesterday, and as a result I hold out little hope that the detective will either. So I'll call again later.