LEXINGTON, Ky. (FOX 56) — The Lexington Police Department announced on Wednesday night that Lee’s Famous Recipe Chicken was holding a fundraiser to help ease the burden of medical expenses for a police officer who continues to recover from severe injuries from an April traffic stop that went horribly wrong.
All day Thursday, July 2, Lee’s Famous Recipe Chicken on Richmond Road is donating 20% of its sales back to Officer Kevin Van Wert for medical expenses and to help his family. The Lexington Police Department (LPD) announced the restaurant’s generosity on social media.
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On the night of April 14, Officer Van Wert stopped a driver on Ruccio Way whose license plate allegedly wasn’t illuminated. During the stop, Van Wert realized the suspect had a warrant for an alleged probation violation. When he returned to the vehicle, he was caught on it and dragged into a light pole before being thrown to the ground.
Van Wert continues to face a long, difficult road since the April stop. The suspect he’d pulled over, 32-year-old Naqeeb Mufallah, also known as Malachi Greathouse, has since pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree assault of a police officer, first-degree wanton endangerment of a police officer, first-degree criminal mischief, resisting arrest, possession of a handgun by a convicted felon, first-degree fleeing or evading police, and leaving the scene of an accident while failing to render aid or assistance involving death or serious physical injury. He’s scheduled to have a closed pretrial conference on Aug. 31, and he is due back in court in October for a status hearing.
Lee’s Famous Recipe invited Lexington to come out on Thursday to support Van Wert and his path to recovery.
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“We want to thank them for their continued support. It means so much to us that we have a caring and supportive community!” Lexington law enforcement leaders wrote…