BOONE COUNTY $ 49 RECORDER 2 Your Community Recorder newspaper serving all of Boone County
/LB.
WITH TH CARD
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2020 | BECAUSE COMMUNITY MATTERS | PART OF THE USA TODAY NETWORK ###
Ground Beef ef • 73% Lean, Value Pack • Price valid until 9/9 YO U ’ L L B E Delighted
Stephenson crime scene: Posed, staged, message left Amber Hunt Cincinnati Enquirer USA TODAY NETWORK
For the families of victims killed in unsolved murders, life has been at a standstill for a long time, even before the pandemic arrived. Over the next several weeks, The Enquirer will highlight a series of cold cases, summarized and analyzed by the journalists whose careers largely focus on unsolved murders: the creators of Cincinnati.com's Accused podcast. If you have any information on any unsolved case, please reach out to the appropriate law enforcement agency. Suggestions for cases to highlight can be sent to accused@enquirer.com. The crime: Bill and Peggy Stephenson were two halves of a loving elderly couple known in Florence, Kentucky, for their church work and generosity. Bill had founded the Trucker’s Chapel Ministry, a spot where traveling transporters could gather and pray. Peggy played organ at Union Baptist Church. They led quiet but impactful lives, according to their loved ones – which made the disturbing crime scene police discovered in May 2011 all the more unfathomable. On May 29, 2011, the Stephensons were slain in brutal fashion – bludgeoned and stabbed – and then, whoever killed them staged a bizarre scene. Detective Coy Cox, who’s headed the Boone County Sheriff ’s investigation since Day 1, told me he’s been “guarded and careful” about the details he’s released from the start. See BACKSTORY, Page 2A
Beth Victor and her brother, Doug Stephenson, take part in a press conference on Jan. 25, 2012, with Boone County officials seeking information about their parents. Their parents Bill and Peggy Stephenson were found dead at their Florence home in May 2011. ENQUIRER FILE/PATRICK REDDY
NKY man faces up to $750k fi ne for violating Canada’s Quarantine Act Julia Fair and The Associated Press
A Northern Kentucky man traveled to a Canadian resort for some fun. Instead, he got a visit from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police for violating Canada's Quarantine Act – and now faces big fi nes and possible jail time. John Pennington, 40, of Walton, was fi ned $1,200 on June 25 after staff at a Banff hotel called the police saying they believed the U.S. citizen was violating quarantine laws during the COVID-19 pandemic. He could also face a fi ne of up to $750,000 or six months in jail. Pennington could not be immediately reached for comment. Americans are not allowed in Canada. But, many have used a loophole to travel through Canada on the way to and from Alaska. Fewer than 10,000 Canadians have died from COVID-19, according to the New York Times. More than 170,000 have died in the U.S. “RCMP attended the hotel and as a result of their investigation, they found a second individual in his presence, a female from Calgary, and found him to be breaching the requirements to quarantine while he traveled through Alberta so he was issued a ticket under the Alberta Public Health Act,” said RCMP Cpl. Tammy Keibel in Calgary. Pennington, who calls himself Mister Collagen on social media, told his Facebook followers about the incident in a video on June 26. His page includes weight loss tips and motivational quotes. As of Aug. 25, over 2,000 people had watched the video of Pennington explaining the incident. He fl ew to Seattle and traveled to Canada and Alaska he said in the video. He said he didn't understand why police visited his hotel room after he was approved by border patrol. Local police didn't stop him and the hotel allowed him to check-in.
Contact The Press
News: 513-903-6027, Retail advertising: 513-768-8404, Classified advertising: 513-242-4000, Delivery: 513-248-7113, Subscriptions: 513-248-7113.
John Pennington, of Walton, told his Facebook followers about being told to leave Canada after he stayed in the country during its travel ban. FACEBOOK SCREENSHOT
"I thought I was good to go," he said in the video. He added that he would have understood if the hotel told him he wasn't allowed to stay when he booked the room. In the comments, someone asked him how he was able to pass border patrol. He said he told patrol offi cers that he was traveling for "transit purposes" with a winky emoji.
In July, Canada implemented strict rules about Americans entering Canada who say they are headed to Alaska. The Canada Border Services Agency only allows such travelers to enter at one of fi ve crossings: Abbotsford-Huntingdon (British Columbia), Kingsgate (British Columbia), Osoyoos (British Columbia), Coutts (Alberta) and North Portal (Saskatchewan). Drivers are allowed a reasonable period of stay to make the transit and are limited to travel within Canada using the most direct route to Alaska. They are barred from driving through national parks, leisure sites, and tourism locations and receive a hang tag for their rear-view mirror indicating the date they must depart Canada. Keibel said offi cers received a second complaint about the Northern Kentucky man the next day when someone spotted a car with American plates in a parking lot near the gondola to Sulphur Mountain. “They located Mr. Pennington up on Sulphur Mountain. As a result of him again allegedly being in violation of the quarantine through his travels, there was some consultation with a quarantine offi cer in Calgary and the decision was made to charge Mr. Pennington under the federal Quarantine Act,” Keibel said. “He was arrested and subsequently released for a court date in November.” Keibel said she was not aware of any other charge under the Quarantine Act. She said those violating the rules are given strict instructions and Pennington had received a warning after his initial ticket. “You don’t expect it. You would hope people would follow the direction provided and comply with the laws in place, especially after it was made clear what the expectations are,” she said. Keibel said Pennington was escorted out of the park boundaries and told to continue on his journey.
For the Postmaster: Published weekly every Thursday. Periodicals postage paid at Florence, KY 41042 ISSN 201108 ❚ USPS 060-780 Postmaster: Send address change to The Boone County Recorder, 2766 Circleport Dr., Erlanger, KY 41018 Annual subscription: Weekly Recorder In-County $18.02; All other in-state $23.32; Out-of-state $27.56; Kentucky sales tax included
Vol. 144 No. 45 © 2020 The Community Recorder ALL RIGHTS RESERVED $1.00
WFDBHE-25032s