Following a brief interlude Tuesday afternoon between special prosecutor Jason Darnell and defense attorney Ken Haggard, it has been decided that Trigg County Sheriff Aaron Acree will go to trial this summer — facing four misdemeanor charges to which he’s already pleaded “not guilty.”
Wednesday morning, Haggard told the News Edge that Darnell and the Commonwealth are seeking maximum penalties, and that no plea deal or mediation will be reached.
Haggard said it was “a short, nice conversation,” but that a day in court must come.
Haggard also noted another pre-trial conference has been set for late June under a trio of possible dates. He also said there will likely be several motions filed from multiple directions before the trial convenes.
Jack Telle once again presided as special judge, and monitored the teleconference. He’s currently the chief district judge of the 58th Judicial District in Marshall County.
Acree was arraigned on February 14 with charges surrounding two different scenarios detailed in a Trigg County Grand Jury indictment.
An alleged assault in the fourth degree, first degree official misconduct and third degree terroristic threatening all sprouted from a January 11, 2022 altercation with Crystal Smith, who was arrested the same day for the burglary of Acree’s home.
Another first degree official misconduct charge stems from Acree allegedly renting a room at Lake Barkley State Resort Park, free of charge, and representing it to be for a drug investigation — when it was purportedly planned for personal use.
