In response to an E-mail rumor, investigative actionwas taken to verify a report of an alleged crop circle found in NorthernKentucky. After several phone calls and contact with Mr. Charles Mattox,news editor of the Flemingsburg Gazette newspaper, the rumor was put torest. Indeed a crop circle had appeared in southwestern Fleming Countyin May of this year, as confirmed by Mr. Mattox.

The perfect circle, Mattox said, was found in a Ryefield and its size was likened to that of something bigger than a silofoundation.

"Everything was normal and then overnight this thingappeared," Mattox said. He also said the crop formation was discoveredjust prior to local flooding from heavy storms in the area.

The formation was said to be perfectly circular whenfirst found, but its shape had apparently deteriorated after heavy windsfrom the storms.

Mattox informed that Jerry Wagner, Fleming County Sheriff,was an eye-witness to the circle and also said that it was perfectly circularwhen he saw it before the storms hit.

"My photos were taken after the storm hit and you cantell the symetry of the circle is altered by the wind," Mattox said. "Idon't think the wind made the circle because the night it appearred there
was no wind."

Mattox did retain several samples of the crop whichwere effected, having them in his newspaper office and looking at themduring my conversation with him. 

"It is fairly unusual," he said, estimating that thephenomena could have been caused by some sort of heat source.

The crop circle appeared in an area near Tea Run andis still somewhat visible, according to Mattox.

Word of this formation came to me from a rumor of acrop circle sighting by E-mail from a Fleming County resident who had heardof a crop circle in her area earlier in the summer, and this same personalso suspected that there was a news article that made mention of it somewhere.

Interestingly, this location is less than 49-milesfrom a more intricate crop formation found August 24, 2003 adjacent tothe legendary Serpent Mound State Memorial in Adams County, Ohio. Further,this location is also along an Ohio River corridor of reported UFO sightingsthat has been noted by investigators. Researchers have sought to addressthe numerous sightings as misidentification of stars and planets plus advertisingsearchlights used near Proctorville, Ohio.

"The probabilities of obtaining good samples from thisare diminished," said Nancy Talbott of BLT Research, "due to the time involvedfrom its discovery in May to now in mid-September, plus its likely thefield has been harvested."

Mr. Mattox did prepare and publish a local news storyon this formation, accompanied by photographs. The news story appearedin the Flemingsburg Gazette but word of the crop circle apparently didnot circulate beyond that region and information concerning it will onlynow become available to those interested in researching the suspected phenomena.

Arrangements have been made to travel to the locationon Thursday, September 25 with Ted Robertson of Bloomington, Indiana, tosurvey the location and take samples to forward to Nancy Talbott of BLTResearch, Cambridge, Massachusetts, for scientific analysis. 

Filed,
September 23, 2003