Former Trigg County Sheriff Jason Barnes entered guilty pleas to both charges he is facing in Trigg County Circuit Court.
Barnes appeared virtually before 56th Circuit Judge C. A. Woodall Monday morning to enter in the plea agreement on charges of Tampering with a Witness and Unlawful Transaction with a Minor.
Judge Woodall reminded Barnes that by entering a plea agreement he waived a number of rights.
click to download audioThe plea agreement calls for sentences of three years and twelve months in prison.
click to download audioBarnes remains out of jail on bond, with Judge Woodall setting a formal sentencing date of February 8 in Trigg County Circuit Court.
A joint investigation by the Kentucky State Police, FBI, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Kentucky determined Barnes provided alcohol to a person under the age of 21 in February of 2020. They also discovered that several months later, during the investigation, he knowingly practiced what they called “deceit with the intent to affect the testimony of a potential witness.”
Barnes, who was elected sheriff in 2018, resigned effective August 31, 2020. Trigg County Judge-executive Hollis Alexander appointed Kentucky State Trooper Aaron Acree to fill the remainder of Barnes’ term beginning September 1, 2020.
