During his Wednesday’s Trigg County Circuit Court pre-trial conference, former Trigg County Sheriff Jason Barnes and his defense attorney, David Rye, noted they were almost prepared to enter into a guilty plea deal — regarding charges of third-degree unlawful transaction with a minor and one count of tampering with a witness.
Rye said the only reason he and Barnes weren’t fully prepared to officially enter the plea on Wednesday afternoon, however, was because the two hadn’t had considerable time to review all of the paperwork involved.
Rye added he had to report to Christian County Circuit Court for cases Wednesday afternoon, leaving even less time to discuss and review the case with his client.
As a compromise, Circuit Court Judge C.A. “Woody” Woodall III and special prosecutor, Alex Garcia, agreed that Rye and Barnes could enter the plea agreement on December 27, which was the date originally selected for the presumed trial.
Barnes resigned as Trigg County’s sheriff on August 31, 2020, following an indictment from a grand jury. A joint investigation by officials with the Kentucky State Police, the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Kentucky alleged that Barnes provided alcohol to a person under the age of 21 while as sheriff in February 2020. Their investigation also returned an indication that Barnes “knowingly practiced deceit, with the intent to affect the testimony of a potential witness.”
Layla Kunkle, the victim, also filed a federal lawsuit against Barnes, three members of the sheriff’s department and a former Cadiz Police Department officer — noting she was groomed for sex while interning through a high school program.
Barnes was originally sworn in as Trigg County sheriff on January 3, 2019.
