Subpoenas served in child abuse case

Floyd County Times, The (Prestonsburg, KY)

Author: JOYAL FRAZIER

More subpoenas have been served in the case against a Galveston man charged with 13 counts of first-degree criminal abuse and one count of wanton endangerment, according to documents filed this week in circuit court.

Steve Price, with the Kentucky Baptist Home for Children, was served with a subpoena Wednesday to testify in the case against Ansel Hall.

Hall, 31, was arrested at his home in February 2002 after he allegedly abused his 12-year-old adopted son between July 2001 and January 2002.

The indictment against Hall claims that he tortured his son by beating him with a horse whip on his legs, back, stomach, hip and both arms, inflicted trauma to his stomach by using a cattle prod on him, hit him on the legs and hip with a wooden paddle and struck him in the head with a shotgun. It is also alleged that Hall pointed a shotgun at the child's head, resulting in the one charge of wanton endangerment.

Hall's wife, Georgia Hall, was also arrested and charged with 16 counts of first-degree criminal abuse. After a pretrial conference in May 2003, a request was made that Georgia Hall receive new counsel. She and Ansel Hall had been appointed the same representation until that point.

Her request came after an offer from the Commonwealth's Attorney's Office for her testimony against Ansel Hall. She claims that Hall was physically and verbally abusive to her as well as the child.

Ansel Hall has been ordered to have no contact with Georgia Hall.

Ansel Hall is scheduled to go to trial in December.

There have been no other court dates scheduled for Georgia Hall at this time.