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Hiram Brock Helton and Serena (Osborne) Helton |
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Hiram Brock Helton and Serena (Osborne) Helton |
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"Barbourville Mountain Advocate Online" Wednesday, January 10, 2001 |
"Corbin Times-Tribune Online" July 13, 2004 |
...by Bert Scent, Advocate Photography Editor ~~~ Circuit Court Clerk, GREG HELTON was sworn in by Circuit Judge Roderick Messer, Jr., on Monday in the Knox County Circuit Courtroom of the Knox County Courthouse. Helton, who was unopposed in his second race for the seat of Circuit Court Clerk is a Barbourville High School graduate. Helton just began his seventh year as Clerk. His office hours are Monday-Friday: 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. and on Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Greg is the son of Beve and Pauline Helton of Barbourville and is married to Marcetta Smith, the daughter of Earl and Betty Smith. Greg and Marcetta have a daughter, Alex and they live in Barbourville. The circuit court clerks serve both the circuit and district courts. They are elected on a partisan basis for six-year terms. One clerk is elected from each county. They are the administrative and clerical officers of the judicial system. They are prohibited from practicing law. To seek the office of circuit court clerk, a person must be at least 21 years old, a citizen of the state of Kentucky, a resident of the state of Kentucky for at least two years and a resident of the county for at least one year prior to taking office. The candidates must pass a competency examination given by the Administrative Office of the Courts to seek the office of circuit court clerk. Responsibilities of the circuit court clerks are preparing bonds and approving sureties thereon; administering oaths and affidavits; maintaining records, files and dockets; collecting fees, fines and bond money; and paying jurors, commissioners and witnesses. They also issue driver licenses, summons jurors and operate tape recording equipment. In the absence of all judicial officers, the circuit clerk may issue warrants prepared by the Commonwealth or County Attorney. ~~~ |
... by Fred Petke, Staff Writer ~~~ In January 1978, Lewis B. Hopper opened his first courtroom. It wasn't much: a green National Guard tent set in a vacant lot a couple blocks from the Knox County Courthouse. The furnishings were scrounged any way possible: folding wooden chairs, a construction-type heater and a desk to serve as the bench. For 11 days, some with snow on the ground, Hopper held the first sessions of Knox County's new district court as implemented by the state the year before to eliminate the county courts. Hopper wasn't alone; 35 other new district judges couldn't get into the courthouses at first, whether due to local resistance or a lack of negotiated rent for courthouse space with the state. The tent started Hopper's career as a judge in Knox County, moving up to circuit court in 1984 and being re-elected twice. Last week, Hopper retired from his established post, nearly four months after having a stroke. "It was time," Hopper said Friday. "A whole lot of my buddies around the state have done the same. I was getting to be one of the deans. I was second place in the state for longevity." Since March, Hopper kept busy with some office work but never returned to the bench. A number of special judges, including those in and out of the Tri-County, have handled the court days and trials as needed, along with Hopper's counterpart, Roderick Messer. Messer, in his 12th year as a circuit judge in Knox and Laurel counties, prosecuted cases before Hopper as an assistant county attorney in district court until 1984, when Hopper was elected as a circuit judge. Eight years later, Messer was elected to the circuit judgeship as well. "The fact is he and I have been close friends for so long," Messer said. "We didn't have any friction between us. Talking with judges around the state, I think that was unusual." Hopper has always been outgoing on the bench, often telling stories or jokes to the jurors during a break in a trial. He's also been around long enough to see the children of defendants from his district court days appear before him in circuit court, he said. "It's amazing," he said. "It's not a reunion, but you become very familiar with a certain segment of the population." His longevity on the bench provided familiarity to both defendants and the attorneys trying cases before him. "When you've had a judge that's kind of an institution... it moves the cases along," public defender Roger Gibbs said. "You know (his) general pattern, everyone knows what a case is worth." Former commonwealth's attorney Tom Handy spent much of his career trying cases before Hopper. "His rulings were determined by what happened in court and not influenced by other considerations," Handy said. "He let the lawyers practice their cases without interjecting himself into the cases.' "I tried a lot of cases in front of Judge Hopper," Gibbs said. "He was not a pro-defense judge by any stretch. He certainly understood when you had a jury issue. He's somebody good to sit down and talk about a case. I consider him a trial lawyer's trial judge." Hopper's last trial was a couple weeks before his stroke, an assault and unlawful imprisonment case where both defendants were convicted. Dozens of murder trials alone were tried before Hopper's bench, including Donald Harvey, the so-called 'Angel of Death' who confessed to killing eight people while he worked at Marymount Medical Center. Hopper sentenced Harvey to eight consecutive life sentences. "In November, Hopper's successor will be elected to serve the remaining two years of his present seven-year term," Knox Circuit Clerk Greg Helton said. "Lewis is a great judge," Helton said. "We're going to miss him terribly. I tried to talk him out of retiring, but it didn't work and I don't blame him." Still, the time has come. Hopper's immediate plans call for taking about three months off for the first time in his life. The rest remains to be seen. "The phone still rings in the wee hours, with people looking for help or advice with a legal situation from the judge," he said. "After 26 and a half years, Hopper's having to say 'I'm not the judge anymore'." "It takes a while to adjust," Hopper said. "I kinda think I'm going to like (retirement). Being a judge is a stressful job. In the position, you feel like you're making a difference in the community. It's ever-changing." ~~~ |
is the son of Harry &Bitty(Black) Hopper grandson of Walter &Mariam(Faulkner) Hopper g-grandson of A.B. &Susan(Gilbert) Hopper gg-grandson of Blackgrove &Nancy(Gilbert) Hopper |
Walter C. Heltoncareer in the army, attained rank of Lieutenant Colonel by the time he returned to Barbourville for a year in 1959-60 to finish his college work at Union College; commander at Quemoy and Matzu during the 1954 crisis in the Formosan Straits. |
 "Lt. Col. Carl Helton, a senior, was presented at convocation exercises the Commendation Ribbon and Medal Pendant. The citation from the Secretary of the Army read: 'Serving as Chief of the Matsu Defense Command at the height of the Quemoy Crisis, Colonel Helton developed and recommended important revisions to the Matsu Defense Command which contributed materially to the successful defense of the Matsu complex against Chinese Communist threats.' "Colonel Helton began his work at Union College in 1939-1940 and continued again in 1946-1948. He is scheduled to graduate in January, 1960, with a major in business." |
Burchin & Mary(Jarvis) Helton on 62nd Anniversarywith other Jarvis' at our website. The following is info on her parents and siblings, collected from assorted sources:
son of Fayette &Ellen(Jones) Jarvis b: 30 Jun 1890 d: 06 Aug 1968 buried: New Bethel Cemetery, Knox Co, KY m: ELIZA ELLEN JONES, on 20 Jul 1910 b: 14 Nov 1892 |
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Penny Jarvis (photo is from a 1949 news clipping)