The words bones, torture chamber, and drugs aren’t usually the words you would use to describe the Old Kentucky Home.
On the afternoon of August 12, 2025, Officers with the Drug Enforcement Administration were executing a drug-related search warrant at a home in Laurel County, Kentucky. Little did they know that drugs were the least interesting thing about this search. As the officers walked further into the house, they smelled a strong odor, similar to that of a decaying corpse. Scottie Shelton, the owner of the home, allowed the officers to search deeper into the house, which led them to find a “cell-like” room that appeared to be some sort of torture chamber, according to court documents. This room had a various amount of items, including handcuffs, a rope, and multiple guns. Soon, officers found several deer skulls, turkey beards, a bobcat skull, a hawk head and feet, and a freshly harvested buck at the home, according to court records, according to the Lexington Herald Leader.
Living in a small town in Kentucky, like Mount Washington, you don’t have to worry about your car getting broken into, someone stealing your dog, or someone breaking into your house; it’s not the norm. So, when something like a torture chamber is found in a home in a small county in Kentucky, it’s frightening not only to the residents of Laurel County, but also to people who live in small counties or towns, realizing something like this could happen right under their noses without them even thinking twice about it, because nothing like that could ever happen there. “I think it’s really eye-opening when something like this happens, even though Laurel County isn’t that close; something like that could happen here, and that’s what’s so shocking about this entire incident.” Said Ella Hite, a junior at Bullitt East High School. “I was in the law enforcement pathway for a while, and I think it prepared me for situations like this. Even though I’m not going into law enforcement, I’m glad I know what to do if something as crazy as that would happen in Mount Washington.”
Living in Louisville, the crime index is 95% higher than the KY average, and its violent crime is 175% higher than in previous years. Crime from inside a major city like Louisville is slowly seeping out into smaller counties and towns, like Laurel County. “About two years ago, I remember when someone found human bones under a house right next to Bullitt East. I don’t think I really processed how crazy it was at the time that someone in Mount Washington would do something like that.” Said Addison Stoll, a junior at Bullitt East High School.
Occurrences like this are happening more frequently and closer to home. By understanding how complex and real these situations are, citizens and policymakers begin to address the underlying causes of division, violence, and social unrest. However, without acting quickly and meaningfully, these issues will soon begin to grow and become bigger than before.
