Woman facing serious charges involving minors tops recent indictments

March 13, 2025

by Staff Report

The only remaining party in a duo charged with heinous child sex offenses was indicted by a Knox County Grand Jury on Friday, February 28, 2025. The 32-count indictment alleges the acts to have occurred over the course of just more than one year and involved three minors, current ages 10, 10, and 11.

Raven Chanel Broughton-Jones, 30, was arrested on January 21 by Barbourville Police Department Sgt. Adam Townsley. Also charged in connection with the case was Steven M. Carter, who died last week in an interaction with law enforcement while serving an arrest warrant. Broughton-Jones remains incarcerated in the Knox County Detention Center, where she is being held on a $250,000 cash bond. Carter was arrested in Stanton, Texas, and extradited to Kentucky. He was booked into the KCDC on February 18 and released on February 19 after his $100,000 cash bond was paid. He died on February 24. A trooper-involved shooting investigation is being conducted by Kentucky State Police in the case.

Broughton-Jones was charged with a total of 32 counts by the Grand Jury. Of those, six counts were for Use of a Minor in a Sexual Performance in which the minors’ genitalia was displayed for the defendant’s camera on two or more occasions; four counts were for Incest, in which the defendant is charged with, acting alone or in concert with others, had sexual intercourse with the minors on two or more occasions; six counts of Rape in the First Degree for engaging in sexual intercourse with the minors through the use of forcible compulsion on two or more occasions; two counts of Possession of Matter Portraying a Sexual Performance by a Minor by knowingly or unlawfully having in her possession matter which visually depicts a sexual performance by a minor person under the age of 12 years; six counts of Promoting a Sexual Performance by a Minor by knowingly producing, directing or promoting a performance which includes sexual conduct by a minor under the age of 16 years; two counts of Distributing Matter Portraying a Sexual Performance by a minor by knowingly and unlawfully bringing into the state for distribution matter portraying a sexual performance by a minor under the age of 12 years; and six counts of Sodomy in the First Degree by engaging in deviate sexual intercourse with the minors through the use of forcible compulsion on a child under the age of 12 years old on two or more occasions.

Broughton-Jones is due back in Knox Circuit Court at 9:30 a.m. on Friday, March 28, 2025.

The investigation is ongoing by Sgt. Townsley. He was assisted by School Resource Officer Glenn Taylor, Officer Colby Patterson, Sgt. Eric Martin, the Texas Department of Public Safety, Knox County Victim’s Advocate Renia Owens, and the Kentucky Department of Community Based Services.
In other news, the Knox County grand jury also returned the following indictments:

Christopher W. Surgener, Corbin, one count of receiving stolen property $500 or more but less than $1,000.

Justin N. Mills, Walker, one count of first degree assault, two counts of third degree assault, one count of resisting arrest, one count of public intoxication, one count of third degree terroristic threatening.

Troy Partin Jr., Barbourville, one count of first degree trafficking in a controlled substance first offense.

Julie A. Popejoy, Barbourville, one count of first degree trafficking in a controlled substance first offense, one count of first degree persistent felony offender.

David Chris Mills Jr., Artemus, one count of first degree trafficking in a controlled substance first offense, one count of first degree persistent felony offender.

James Wagers, Barbourville, one count of first degree trafficking in a controlled substance first offense, one count of first degree persistent felony offender.

John Everett Carr, Gray, three counts of trafficking in a controlled substance first offense, one count of possession of drug paraphernalia, one count of second degree persistent felony offender.

Jonathan Dwayne Bargo, Flat Lick, one count of theft by unlawful taking of the value of $1,000 or more but less than $10,000, one count of first degree persistent felony offender.

Colonel Joe Golden, Barbourville, one count of theft by unlawful taking of the value of $1,000 or more but less than $10,000.

Patricia Dawn Mckee, Burnside, one count of first degree possession of a controlled substance, one count of possession of drug paraphernalia.

John E. Carr, Gray, one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, one count of second degree persistent felony offender.

Jason Gray, Barbourville, one count of first degree trafficking in a controlled substance first offense.

Ashley Taylor, Pineville, one count of second degree burglary.

Wesley Mills, Flat Lick, three counts of first degree wanton endangerment, one count of fourth degree assault.

Anthony Ray Middleton, Corbin, one count of flagrant non support.

Crystal Gail Edwards, Bimble, one count of first degree possession of a controlled substance, one count of possession of drug paraphernalia, one count of possession of marijuana.

Eric Troy Johnson, Corbin, one count of first degree possession of a controlled substance, one count of third degree possession of a controlled substance.