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Woman retracts stories of abuse by ex-boyfriend

      Associated Press
 
      CATLETTSBURG --- An 18-year-old woman has recanted her stories of abuse that led to four felony charges and a trial for a Boyd County man.      

       Lance Duff is accused of stalking, assault, wanton endangerment and possession of a firearm on school property.     

       "I knew I could get Lance in a lot of trouble, but I didn't think it would go this far," Holly Stewart testified Wednesday in Boyd Circuit Court.      

       She and Duff, 19, began dating in junior high school and continued for nearly five years. They broke up when he thought about going to college and dating other women.      

       Stewart first made her allegations about Duff in October 1996, after an incident in the parking lot at Paul G. Blazer High School, where Duff allegedly waved a gun at her and two other students.     

       In the next few months, she added details to her stories. But during four hours of testimony Wednesday, Stewart repeatedly said all of her stories, except one about him spraying Windex in her eyes, were untrue. The spraying was an accident, she said.      

       Stewart testified she tried in December 1996 to get police to drop the charges, but they told her it was impossible. Duff faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted on all four counts.      


All Contents © Copyright 1998 Lexington Herald-Leader. All Rights Reserved


UK student sentenced on weapon charge 15 February 1998


CATLETTSBURG - A University of Kentucky student convicted of carrying a gun onto high school grounds while stalking his girlfriend has been sentenced to two years in prison.

Lance Duff blamed his immaturity for his behavior. "I've made many mistakes in my 19 years on Earth," Duff told Boyd Circuit Judge C. David Hagerman prior to sentencing Monday. "Immaturity is one of them."

Last month, a jury convicted Duff on the gun charge, a felony, and two misdemeanors: second-degree stalking and fourth-degree assault. The jury acquitted Duff of first-degree wanton endangerment.

At the trial, prosecutor Stewart Schneider painted a graphic portrait of abuse, alleging Duff hit his girlfriend, Holly Stewart, burned her, bit her, stabbed her and made her drink his urine and eat his feces.

Ms. Stewart testified that none of that was true, that she made those allegations against Duff because she was mad at him and wanted to hurt him.

Regardless, Hagerman said he could not overlook the seriousness of the weapons charge, especially in light of recent shootings on school property.

Hagerman also sentenced Duff to 30 days in jail and a $500 fine for stalking Stewart, and four months and a $500 fine for assaulting her.

All the sentences were to run concurrently, and Duff was credited with the 23 days he's already spent behind bars. He remained in the Boyd County Detention Center on Thursday, unable to post a $25,000 cash appeal bond, which Hagerman refused to lower.

Duff's attorney, Jerry Vincent of Catlettsburg, filed notice Tuesday that his client would appeal.


©1998 The Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer

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