Sara Shawver is a senior at Georgetown College from Louisville, Kentucky. She is majoring in Psychology and minoring in Sociology, and she will be attending Xavier University in the Fall for a master’s program in Industrial/Organizational Psychology. After graduate school, she hopes to start a career in human resources or continue her education and receive her doctorate. At Georgetown College, Shawver plays on the Women’s Lacrosse team and she is involved with Phi Mu Sorority, Intramural Sports, Psi Chi, Alpha Lambda Delta Honors Society, and Peer Tutors.

Shawver began working at the courthouse this past summer as the Human Resources Specialist Intern. Throughout her internship with Scott County, she has worked on the employee handbook, the compensation study, and any other human resources related projects needed. She also helps in the job hiring process, safety committee meetings, and updating job descriptions. She says that her favorite part of this opportunity has been working with great people. About the people she has met during her time at the courthouse, she says “They are very genuine and caring people that have helped me incredibly since I arrived.” She is very grateful for this internship program at the courthouse and values the experience and connections she has obtained since she started.

As of today, Monday, March 16, 2020, Scott County Government has decided to limit access between County staff and the public in response to the Coronavirus. Public service remains the top priority for all County departments. Agencies are open and available for document drop-off for

business purposes.  Please contact offices via phone or e-mail for questions or for any immediate needs.  Contact information for departments can be found on our webpage at https://www.scottky.gov

We remain poised and prepared to provide emergency and non-emergency services as needed.  Please continue preventive measures to limit the chance of exposure.   Please follow this link: for more details on prevention.

Thank you for your understanding. We will get through this TOGETHER!

Joe Pat Covington

County Judge Executive

Also keep up with our Facebook Page for more important updates

Michael Hennigan is the Director of Emergency Management and Homeland Security at Scott County’s Emergency Management Agency (EMA). He grew up in Buffalo, New York and moved to Scott County in 2000. When Hennigan moved to Kentucky, he started working in the transportation industry in Lexington where he was involved with a terrible bus crash that inspired him to begin volunteering with the Scott County EMA. He wanted to help to aid those who are affected by incidents like this on a larger scale. He started working at the EMA department in 2006.

The EMA department is in charge of planning and preparing for major incidents that would require several first responders. This could include natural disasters, major highway crashes, or anything that would require collaboration between several different emergency departments and agencies. The EMA will either get involved on scene directly working with the first responders or provide the resources to ensure the other emergency departments can assist in any major situations.

Hennigan is involved with disaster response, environmental impact and coordination between different agencies in the county. He says that his favorite part of the job is knowing that every day he will do something different; it is never the same thing twice. His 2020 goals for the department are to improve relations with other agencies, invest in improving his staff and those working with the EMA, and to maintain the safety of the community.

Paula Roe is a Deputy Jailer at the Scott County Detention Center. She has worked in Scott County full-time for eight years. Roe always knew that she wanted to go into a field where she could help people while also enforcing the law. This passion for justice started when one of her friends was murdered after just having a baby three days prior. She wanted to help families and children never have to experience something like that again. She thought she wanted to work in the police force, but after a short time at the Fayette County Detention Center, she found a passion for guiding people back onto the right path. She then began working at the Scott County Detention Center where she has been teaching Moral Recognition Therapy (MRT) classes for the inmates. These classes are meant to help inmates learn about themselves and how to think critically. It is a 12-step program for encouraging inmates to want to turn their lives around by thinking positively and reducing their chances of returning to jail. Roe spends a lot of time developing these classes to give the inmates resources they need to succeed and to keep themselves out of trouble once they get out.

Roe says she loves what she does at the jail. Knowing that she makes a difference by encouraging and growing the inmates into productive citizens makes her job so much better. She says that her favorite part of the job is seeing inmates out in the world doing well for themselves, and when they thank her for treating them like individuals and being a role model for them. “There has to be a line where you do your job well, but still coach them and encourage them to be better for themselves and for their families,” she says, “It’s all about showing them that they are capable; they are smart.” She always makes sure they know that she is there for them once they get out to work with them on finding jobs and resources that can help them stay out of jail.

This year, Roe hopes to bring more classes to the jail including a parenting class and domestic violence classes. She believes these classes are important for men and women to take to show them what life can be like once they do get out. “It is important to have something in the jail to let them know it can be better on the outside,” she says. Her hopes for the future of her inmates are that they will take care of their children to keep them out of jail and to develop these classes so that inmates will have all the knowledge and resources necessary to just be good people in the world.

Terry Vance works for the Scott County Emergency Medical Services Department as a First Responder. It had always been his goal to work in Emergency Medical, but there were not very many resources in West Virginia where Vance previously resided. For that reason, Vance and his wife moved to Kentucky in 2001 where he attended EKU to major in Emergency Medical Care. While in school, Vance worked at the University of Kentucky and completed his Emergency Medical Training basic at EKU. He also completed several hours of ride along and hospital experience. He has worked for Scott County since 2007 after graduating from Eastern Kentucky University in 2006. As an EMS First Responder, Vance provides complete patient prehospital care. This involves cardiac care, assessing trauma, transporting patients to hospitals, and so much more!

Vance says that his favorite part of the job is “Knowing at the end of the day I made a difference in someone’s life.” Because the guidelines of medical care are always changing, he is always looking for new ways to improve in his career and stay up to date on how he can better serve our citizens. In 2020, Vance is looking forward to finishing his house that is being built for his family. He also will be striving to continue making a difference in the lives of Scott County citizens.

Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue recently designated Scott County as one of four Kentucky counties to be primary natural disaster areas. Producers in Fayette, Fleming, Jessamine, and Scott counties who suffered losses due to drought and high temperatures that have occurred since Aug. 28, 2019, may be eligible for U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) emergency loans (see below for applications).
FSA will review the loans based on the extent of losses, security available and repayment ability.
This natural disaster designation allows FSA to extend much-needed emergency credit to producers recovering from natural disasters. Emergency loans can be used to meet various recovery needs including the replacement of essential items such as equipment or livestock, reorganization of a farming operation or the refinance of certain debts.
Producers in the contiguous Kentucky counties of Bath, Bourbon, Clark, Franklin, Garrard, Grant, Harrison, Lewis, Madison, Mason, Mercer, Nicholas, Owen, Robertson, Rowan, and Woodford, are also eligible to apply for emergency loans.

Emergency Loan Applications: https://www.fsa.usda.gov/…/farm-…/emergency-farm-loans/index
The deadline to apply for these emergency loans is Oct. 5, 2020.
Additional information is also available online at farmers.gov/recover.

Aaron Anderson has been with the Scott County Road Department since December 2015 as an equipment operator, but he has lived in Scott County for almost his entire life. Before joining the Road Department, Anderson worked on a local cattle farm for about 7 years. He still goes there time to time due to his love of the outdoors. On the job, Anderson has several duties to maintain the safety of those travelling through the county including operating all types of equipment, plowing snow, fixing pot holes, trimming trees, and overall repair and maintenance of all county roads, properties, and buildings. To become an equipment operator, Anderson had to attain certifications and licenses to handle all machines and equipment necessary to do the job right.

He knew he wanted to work for the Road Department when he saw the opportunities to face new challenges and tasks every day. He also enjoys spending his time outdoors, so this field was a perfect fit. He says that his favorite part of the job is working with good people who value the safety of Scott County citizens. He says they all enjoy doing their part for the county by keeping the roads safe and facilities secure. His goals for 2020 are to continue keeping both the citizens and his teammates safe without injuries or accidents.

When he is not working, Anderson likes to go fishing and spend time with his 4-year old son, Waylon. He was nominated by Road Supervisor, JR Brandenburg, who says that Anderson is very valuable in the department and an asset to his team. 

John Bright is a Deputy Sheriff at the Scott County Police Department. He moved to Scott County in May of 2015 and first started working for the department in September of 2015. He knew he wanted to work in the police force since high school when he spoke to his school’s resource officer about the highlights and benefits of working in law enforcement. Bright graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Criminal Justice from Eastern Kentucky University.  After his graduation, Bright went to work for the Cynthiana Police Department where he attended the Department of Criminal Justice Training for 18 weeks. This training included basic law enforcement tactical practices, critical thinking, report writing, firearm training, driving skills, and other talents needed for a successful career in law enforcement. 

As a Deputy Sheriff, Bright has several duties to ensure the safety of Scott County including patrolling roads for traffic violations, maintaining safe traffic conditions, responding to emergency calls, conducting criminal investigations, gathering physical evidence for preservation of the court, writing reports, servicing warrants, transporting prisoners, apprehending suspects, making arrests, interacting with the community even when it does not involve criminal activity, and so much more! He is thankful for all the rewarding duties and challenges he takes on every day in this profession and says that these challenges are what really drew him to love this profession.

When asked what his favorite part of the job is, Bright said, “I enjoy the camaraderie of the Sheriff’s Office as a whole. Every deputy here has a mutual mindset for the betterment and safety of the county.” His goals for 2020 are to grow as a Christian, expand his family, and continue to protect and serve the community to the best of his ability. Bright was nominated by County Sheriff, Tony Hampton because of his energetic attitude and diligence in always looking for new opportunities to excel in his career and become a better deputy for Scott County citizens.

Chris Runyon is the EMS Assistant Director of Quality and Assurance. He first moved to Scott County in October of 2017 and began working for the EMS Department in February of 2017. He has now had over 30 years of experience in Emergency Medical Services. Before starting in Ems, Runyon worked in the coal mines. His interest in this field began when he was asked to volunteer to go to EMT School. “I climbed on an ambulance for the first time in 1989 and I’ve been hooked ever since,” he says.

As the Assistant Director at GSCEMS, he has several duties and responsibilities such as maintaining Quality Assurance and Quality Improvement. He also is involved with in-house public education for paramedics, and he enjoys being able to be a paramedic himself on occasion.

Runyon says that there are many things he enjoys about EMS, but his favorite part of the job is being able to help others when they are in need. He is thankful to be able to serve alongside his brothers and sisters in such an admirable profession while helping citizens of Scott County as a team. Lastly, Runyon especially enjoys mentoring the new generation of pre-hospital healthcare providers while leading them to love EMS as much as he does.

As 2020 begins, GSCEMS will have their challenges to face, but Runyon says that his biggest goal is to be a positive force for effective change this year. Lastly, he says “I’m passionate about public service and consider it an honor to be able to serve the residents of Scott County.” Thank you for your dedication and service, Chris!

Meet Honey! She was the furry firefighter of Scott County from 2009 until January 1st of this year when she retired. The county first acquired dogs in 2004 when the Scott County Fire Department received a grant from State Farm Insurance sponsored by Steve Woodrum to receive an accelerant detection canine from Maine State Police’s Specialty Dogs.
The county’s first dog, Smokie, worked for the department until August 2009 when he retired and Honey took over. Smokie lived with Jim Kanavy and his family until he passed in 2013. Honey is a yellow Labrador retriever and has been working for the county since Sept 11, 2009 and has served the county for over 10 years. Honey has been nominated and competed in the American Humane Societies Hero Dog Awards and has traveled to Washington D.C. for that nomination.
All the dogs work and live with Jim Kanavy, their certified handler. Jim Kanavy is certified through the Maine Criminal Justice Academy as a Canine Team. He is also certified by the International Association of Arson Investigators and the National Association of Fire Investigators as a Certified Fire Investigator. He is currently on the Board of Directors of the International Association of Arson Investigators which is a worldwide organization with over 10,000 members that covers over 80 states and countries. Lastly, he represents the public fire agencies with National Fire Protection Association’s Fire Investigation Units Committee. He trains them by giving a food reward with a passive alert signal. This means that the dogs sit when they find the source of odor and are rewarded for their good work by being given a treat. The dogs live with Kanavy when working and when they retire. They are trained daily 365 days a year, and they go on family vacations and trips when he goes.

Honey retired from duty on January 1st, and State Farm has given Mikey to the county to replace her. Mikey is a 6 year old Black Labrador, and he was received in October. Mikey is also going through his training requirements daily to prepare for the job and fill Honey’s shoes. Both Kanavy and Mikey will be traveling to Maine in a couple months to complete the certification training.

All the canines, with the support of the Fire Chief and the Fiscal Court, have been a huge asset for the County and the State. Up until last year, Honey was the only accelerant detection Canine in Kentucky. The dogs will often be called into other agencies to detect the crime of arson with their keen sense of smell.