Judge gives probation in Ponder Case
By Kat Russell, Reporter
The Paducah Sun
March 8, 2016
http://www.paducahsun.com/news/local/030816_PS_Shanks_Sentencing
In what some people called a shocking decision, Lyon Circuit Judge C.A. Woodall sentenced Ambrea Shanks to five years probation Monday, which she will serve in her home state of Missouri.
When the decision was rendered, Commonwealth Attorney Carrie Ovey-Wiggins said several Kentucky state troopers, who were there for the sentencing, got up and walked out of the courtroom.
"It's mind-boggling," she said. "There's nothing else I can really say. It's very disappointing for everybody involved on the commonwealth's side."
Shanks, 18, of Florissant, Missouri, is the niece of Joseph Johnson-Shanks, 25, who police say shot and killed 31-year-old Trooper Joseph Cameron Ponder on Sept. 13, 2015, on Interstate 24 in Lyon County. Johnson-Shanks fled after the shooting. He was shot and killed the next morning by a KSP special response team, who said he had refused to relinquish his weapon.
Ambrea Shanks was accused of first-degree hindering prosecution for interfering with the state police investigation and the apprehension of her uncle.
In court Monday, Ovey-Wiggins called KSP Detective Cory Jessup to testify about Shanks' actions during the investigation and her reaction when she learned Trooper Ponder had died.
"When she was being interviewed by detective Cory Jessup, he advised her that Trooper Ponder had passed away and her response was to laugh," Ovey-Wiggins said.
The attorney said Jessup told the court that after Ponder was killed, investigators had made contact with Johnson-Shanks in an attempt to locate him and bring him in safely.
"They wanted to prevent any further loss of life," she said.
Jessup testified that during the phone call, Shanks yelled to her uncle that he was on speaker phone and not to say anything. The detective said Johnson-Shanks immediately hung up, and investigators were unable to make contact with him again until the next morning, when he was finally located in a wooded area near Bluegrass Heights and Chelsea Road, between I-24 and the banks of the Cumberland River.
"It is the commonwealth's belief that there were many people put in danger that night while Johnson-Shanks was running around armed," Ovey-Wiggins said.
Shanks pleaded guilty to the charge in January, and the commonwealth recommended she serve five years in prison.
The defense requested probation, arguing Monday that Shanks was young, had no criminal history and that she had made a bad decision during a stressful situation. The defense also stated Shanks was sorry for her actions and has learned from the experience.
Ovey-Wiggins said she opposed the probation, but Woodall sided with the defense, citing Shanks' youth, the fact that she has already spent 71 days in jail and his belief that she has learned a lesson since Ponder's death.
The commonwealth attorney said in the conditions of her probation, Shanks must submit to regular drug testing and write a letter of apology to KSP Post 1 Commander Janet Barnett.
After the proceeding, Ovey-Wiggins said several people approached her and said they were shocked by the judge's decision.
"I'm definitely disappointed," she said. "And I think I can say the state police are disappointed with the outcome too."
Contact Kat Russell, a Paducah Sun staff writer, at 270-575-8653.
When the decision was rendered, Commonwealth Attorney Carrie Ovey-Wiggins said several Kentucky state troopers, who were there for the sentencing, got up and walked out of the courtroom.
"It's mind-boggling," she said. "There's nothing else I can really say. It's very disappointing for everybody involved on the commonwealth's side."
Shanks, 18, of Florissant, Missouri, is the niece of Joseph Johnson-Shanks, 25, who police say shot and killed 31-year-old Trooper Joseph Cameron Ponder on Sept. 13, 2015, on Interstate 24 in Lyon County. Johnson-Shanks fled after the shooting. He was shot and killed the next morning by a KSP special response team, who said he had refused to relinquish his weapon.
Ambrea Shanks was accused of first-degree hindering prosecution for interfering with the state police investigation and the apprehension of her uncle.
In court Monday, Ovey-Wiggins called KSP Detective Cory Jessup to testify about Shanks' actions during the investigation and her reaction when she learned Trooper Ponder had died.
"When she was being interviewed by detective Cory Jessup, he advised her that Trooper Ponder had passed away and her response was to laugh," Ovey-Wiggins said.
The attorney said Jessup told the court that after Ponder was killed, investigators had made contact with Johnson-Shanks in an attempt to locate him and bring him in safely.
"They wanted to prevent any further loss of life," she said.
Jessup testified that during the phone call, Shanks yelled to her uncle that he was on speaker phone and not to say anything. The detective said Johnson-Shanks immediately hung up, and investigators were unable to make contact with him again until the next morning, when he was finally located in a wooded area near Bluegrass Heights and Chelsea Road, between I-24 and the banks of the Cumberland River.
"It is the commonwealth's belief that there were many people put in danger that night while Johnson-Shanks was running around armed," Ovey-Wiggins said.
Shanks pleaded guilty to the charge in January, and the commonwealth recommended she serve five years in prison.
The defense requested probation, arguing Monday that Shanks was young, had no criminal history and that she had made a bad decision during a stressful situation. The defense also stated Shanks was sorry for her actions and has learned from the experience.
Ovey-Wiggins said she opposed the probation, but Woodall sided with the defense, citing Shanks' youth, the fact that she has already spent 71 days in jail and his belief that she has learned a lesson since Ponder's death.
The commonwealth attorney said in the conditions of her probation, Shanks must submit to regular drug testing and write a letter of apology to KSP Post 1 Commander Janet Barnett.
After the proceeding, Ovey-Wiggins said several people approached her and said they were shocked by the judge's decision.
"I'm definitely disappointed," she said. "And I think I can say the state police are disappointed with the outcome too."
Contact Kat Russell, a Paducah Sun staff writer, at 270-575-8653.
