Suspect connected to January shooting incident returned from Illinois

Christopher Harris, Commonwealth Journal, Somerset, Ky.
·2 min read

Mar. 6—A man wanted on a warrant in connection with a January incident in which a woman with gunshot wounds was dropped off at Lake Cumberland Regional Hospital is back in Pulaski County, according to the Pulaski County Sheriff's Office.

Sonny Powell, 48, was brought back to Pulaski County on Saturday, having been arrested in Lombard, Illinois in late January, according to the sheriff's office.

Powell waived his extradition back to Pulaski County, which made it simpler for local authorities to return him here, said Major Jeff Hancock of the sheriff's office.

"Otherwise, we would have had to get a governor's warrant (to bring him back), and that takes a long time to do," said Hancock.

The Pulaski County Sheriff's Office reported back on January 26 that a Natosha Robinson, 44, showed up at Lake Cumberland Regional Hospital's emergency room around 8 a.m. with "several gunshot wounds." A male subject dropped her off and left, said the sheriff.

The man believed by those investigating to have dropped Robinson off at the hospital was Powell, with whom the victim shared a residence. He was initially sought by authorities as a person of interest in the case.

A warrant for Powell's arrest on charges of First-Degree Assault (Domestic Violence) was issued following an investigation, and the sheriff's office entered his information, including the license plate number of his 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee, into the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) database.

Illinois law enforcement knew that Powell was wanted when his vehicle was spotted by their traffic cameras. He was arrested without resistance in a traffic stop near Chicago, according to the Pulaski County Sheriff's Office.

In January, authorities were unsure how long it would take to get Powell back to Pulaski County, as he had to have an Illinois court hearing on the fugitive warrant he was picked up on.

Powell was arraigned on Monday morning. Being in Pulaski County District Court, a "not guilty" plea would have been entered for Powell.

The CJ will have more information about Powell's case as it's made available.