An Ironton woman has been sentenced to three years in prison for her part in the death of Kitts Hill man last December.

On Wednesday in the Lawrence County Common Pleas Court of Judge Andrew Ballard, Linessa Bailey, 34, County Road 7D, Ironton, was sentenced to three years for reckless homicide in the death of Anthony Wayne Pemberton, of Kitts Hill.
Bailey was not accused of shooting Pemberton.

Aaron K. Scott was accused of shooting Pemberton in the upper right thigh and leaving him bleeding in a driveway on County Road 7. A jury found him not guilty of murder or involuntary manslaughter after he said that it was self defense.

Lawrence County Prosecutor Brigham Anderson said that Bailey was found guilty because she caused the situation and left Pemberton to die in the driveway.

“She was the one that caused the situation. It was her actions that recklessly lead to the death of Pemberton,” Anderson said.

He explained that Bailey called Scott, an ex-boyfriend, over to the house to sell her marijuana. Pemberton, who she was dating, was not happy about it. When Scott arrived, the two men got into a fight.

“Pemberton was hitting Scott with a stick and Scott said he shot him in the leg to get away from him and then left,” Anderson said. “Bailey sees this and does not call for help, does not call for 911. She does not help at all. She left him to die and went in and to smoke marijuana.”

Eventually, someone else saw Pemberton in the driveway and called for help.

When deputies arrived, Pemberton was treated by EMS but was unresponsive to questions. He was transported to St. Mary’s Medical Center in Ironton, but was later pronounced dead.

In January, Bailey was indicted on first-degree felony complicity to involuntary manslaughter and fifth-degree felony complicity to trafficking in marijuana.

In February, Bailey entered a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity. After court-ordered mental evaluations, Bailey was found competent to stand trial.

In June, Scott was found guilty of third-degree felony tampering with evidence and fifth-degree trafficking in marijuana. He was sentenced to four years of probation.

A third person, Ronda S. Mitchell, Ashland, Kentucky, was indicted on a third-degree felony tampering with evidence charge in the case. Mitchell waived her rights to a jury trial and a sentencing hearing will be held on Aug. 17 in Ballard’s court.