A Madison County man was sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty of trafficking a 14-year-old for drugs and sexually abusing her. Shawn Allen, 35, was convicted on felony charges on Wednesday, May 1, of sexual assault of a child and trafficking a minor following a bench trial before Judge David Moorman.

GALA NETTLES Editor’s Note: “Opinions in this column are not representative of the views of The Madisonville Meteor.” May is a month filled with activities, isn’t it? One of them began back in 1962 when President John F. Kennedy declared May 15 as Peace Officers Memorial Day and the week in which that date falls as Police Week.

Powerful storms battered Madison County over the past week, dumping over 10 inches of rain in some areas. The heavy rainfall washed out roads, caused severe flooding, and forced school closures throughout the week, only reopening on Monday, May 6.

On Saturday, April 27 around 7:46 a.m., Lela Jett Ivey’s family called into the Madison County Sheriff’s Office filing a missing persons order for the 83-year-old woman. After using a statewide system, MCSO got an approximate location of the red 2004 Dodge Ram pickup truck that she was said to be in.