Strange. Be interesting to learn the motive.

https://www.kentuckytoday.com/...5e-af4365084df2.html

WHITESBURG, Ky. (KT) - A judge was shot and killed Thursday afternoon in his courthouse chambers in Whitesburg and the Letcher County sheriff has been arrested and charged with first-degree murder.

Letcher District Judge Kevin D. Mullins was shot and killed by Letcher County Sheriff Mickey Stines, 43, of McRoberts. The shooting occurred in the judge’s chambers about 3 p.m.

Stines allegedly walked into the judge’s outer office, told court employees and others gathered he needed to speak with Mullins alone. The two then went into the inner office, closed the door and those outside heard shots following a short argument. Stines walked out with his hands up and surrendered without incident to police. He was handcuffed in the foyer of the courthouse, The Mountain Eagle reported.

Mullins was the judge for the 47th District County in Letcher County and was first elected in 2010. Stines has been the sheriff since 2019.

Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman’s office posted on social media they would assist as a special prosecutor in the case.

Several area schools were briefly placed on lockdown, including Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College and Letcher County Schools.

quote:

Originally posted by wcb6092:
Strange. Be interesting to learn the motive.

Yep. Even stranger is that the now-sheriff used to be that judge's bailiff, prior to being elected sheriff.

My money's on the judge was screwing the sheriff's wife.

quote:

Originally posted by RogueJSK:


My money's on the judge was screwing the sheriff's wife.

Well, that would certainly explain the hostility.

supposedly screwing the Sheriff's 17yr old daughter, and a history of sex for fines

Yep, that'll do it.

It looks like there's an ongoing federal lawsuit for which the sheriff was about to testify at a deposition next week, in which at least one of his department's deputies were accused of offering special treatment to defendants in exchange for sexual favors, with some of those sexual acts allegedly occurring in that same judge's chambers at the courthouse. (Though it's unclear from the news reports at this point whether the judge himself was allegedly involved in that scheme.)


So sounds like everyone was screwing around there. And then Hizzoner got really screwed. And now the sheriff is totally screwed.

Wild. Lot of crazy news coming out of Kentucky recently.

Well, there's not much else to do in ultra-small town Kentucky...

Looks like Whitesburg is a town of 1700 people, and it's the county seat in a county with a total population of only 20k. Exceedingly rural. (Read: backwoods)

Sits next to Harlan County, of Justified fame.

Pulling time in a Kentucky prison as a former Sherriff is not going to be pleasant.

He'll be in protective custody (i.e. solitary/segregation). 23 hours a day in a box, with an hour of solitary rec time. Unless he ends up in a facility that happens to have enough former cops to have a PC unit where they can mingle together.

quote:

Originally posted by lyman:
supposedly screwing the Sheriff's 17yr old daughter, and a history of sex for fines

It does take two to tango. I hope she's proud of herself.

quote:

Originally posted by Gustofer:

quote:

Originally posted by lyman:
supposedly screwing the Sheriff's 17yr old daughter, and a history of sex for fines

It does take two to tango. I hope she's proud of herself.

Man you post some stupid shit. You do realize she's a minor, right?

Hey, we're havin' fun now.

17 isn't age of consent in KY if there is a 10 year age difference.

quote:

On July 14, 2018, Kentucky Revised Statute (KRS) 510.020 went into effect. Under KRS 510.020(3), 16 and 17-year-olds cannot engage in sexual acts with anyone who is more than 10 years older than they are.

quote:

Originally posted by SIG228:
Man you post some stupid shit. You do realize she's a minor, right?

How naive are you? Name a 17 year old out there, anywhere, who doesn't know what she's doing. I don't care if she's legally a minor or not. It makes no difference. Unless it was not consensual, I'll stick with my comment.

I haven't seen anything in the news about the daughter so who knows if that's really true at this point. However when a person in an authoratative position is accused of having sex with a minor, I think coercion or grooming before I think "she knew what she was doing".

Hard to imagine shooting him basically in front of witnesses- I guess a true crime of passion/heated blood. Why not on a back road somewhere and at least try to get away with the crime?

quote:

Be interesting to learn the motive.

In my experience, when you shoot someone and kill someone it’s because you want them dead.

Sheriff & daughter



Judge

Not a single one of the four news channels in the Louisville TV market has said a thing about the sex allegations. They all cop-out to the “investigation continues” bullshit. They even portray the judge as a forward thinker about drug abuse diversion programs. You have to go to the Brit newspaper “Daily Mail” to get the story behind the story.

Another twist:

Suit alleges Kentucky deputy forced woman to have sex in judge's chamber in lieu of fees

https://www.courier-journal.co...chambers/9289211002/

A Kentucky woman says in a federal lawsuit that when she couldn't afford to pay for home incarceration a Letcher County deputy sheriff told her she would receive “favorable treatment for sexual favors.”

In the suit filed Monday in U.S. District Court, Sabrina Adkins says Deputy Ben Fields met her in a district judge’s chambers late at night six times last year and forced her to engage in unwanted kissing, oral sex and intercourse.

“Plaintiff was coerced and compelled to comply with defendant Fields’ advances” given his “position and power and because she could not afford to pay for the ankle monitor and did not want to return to Letcher County Jail,” the suit says

Fields was not working Monday and did not respond to a message left at the sheriff’s office. Fields has not been criminally charged, nor has he been disciplined in connection with the allegations.

Letcher County Sheriff Mickey Stines, who is named as a defendant in the suit for allegedly failing to properly train Fields, said in an interview Fields is a veteran deputy and has not been the subject of any previous complaints.

The suit says the abuse occurred in the chamber of District Judge Kevin Mullins but doesn’t say he was aware of it or allege he was involved in any wrongdoing. Mullins did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Stines, who said he learned of the lawsuit from a reporter, noted that Adkins was charged Jan. 26 with escape. She was charged last year with possession of a controlled substance.

In the lawsuit, filed by Bethany Baxter of Lexington and Ned Pillersdsorf of Prestonsburg, Adkins, 45, says after she was released from the Letcher County Jail last June 2, Field was assigned as her home-incarceration officer and visited her to bring her cigarettes and console her.

She says she told him she didn’t have any money to pay for her ankle bracelet and was terrified to return to jail.

The suit says Fields made “flirtatious comments” about her looks and told her he was confident they could “work something out.”

In late June, the suit says, he asked her to meet at the courthouse after dark and took her into a judge's chambers, telling her there were no cameras there.

He allegedly then took off her ankle bracelet and told her she would not have to pay any fees but could remain on home incarceration.

Between late June and December, Fields met her there at night or in the early morning about six times and allegedly sexually abused her there. The suit says he would put her bracelet on before court appearances.

She said after certain unnamed persons at the courthouse reported Fields was having inappropriate contact with her and provided text messages proving it, he filed a complaint against her that she wasn’t complying with the terms of home incarceration to punish her and “in an attempt to save his reputation.”

Pillersdorf said her lawyers have the texts. He declined to share them with The Courier Journal.

The suit alleges “upon information and belief there are other women Fields has similarly abused.”

It also says Sheriff Stines did not “reasonably respond” to reports or suspicions.

The suit asks for compensatory and punitive damages for assault, battery and violations of her constitutional rights.