A Hopkinsville Police Officer has been indicted by the Christian County Grand Jury for first-degree perjury in connection to the Commonwealth’s case against former City Councilwoman Ann Cherry.
According to the indictment returned Friday morning, Lt. Jefferson Alexander provided false testimony in the case before the Christian County Grand Jury in August 2012 by stating that Cherry had coerced a witness to change her statement, used her position as City Councilwoman to engage in conduct which constitutes an unauthorized exercise of official functions and/or tampered with a public record by releasing a private citizen surveillance video to others.
Commonwealth’s Attorney Rick Boling explained to the News Edge that Lt. Alexander was indicted Friday and former Christian County Commonwealth’s Attorney Lynn Pryor could have been indicted on an official misconduct charge but was barred due to the statute of limitations.
Cherry was a city councilwoman in 2012 when charges were brought against her for Official Misconduct, Tampering with a Witness, and Tampering with Public Records. As part of a 2014 plea deal in the case, Cherry agreed to resign and not run for a city office again. Immediately after the decision, she filed a suit in Federal Court alleging Abuse of Process and Malicious Prosecution by then Hopkinsville Police Chief Guy Howie, Lt., Jefferson Alexander, Commonwealth’s Attorney Lynn Pryor, the Hopkinsville Police Department, and the City of Hopkinsville.
Howie allegedly directed Alexander to investigate Cherry’s interference in an open police investigation related to the Southside Prowler. However, Cherry claimed the charges were really an effort to stop her questions about a city pawn shop ordinance requiring the use of a particular database called Leads Online, which she had challenged, requesting an ethics hearing.
In 2016, the court dismissed Pryor from the suit and issued a summary judgment on the Malicious Prosecution charge, but not the Abuse of Process allegation. In a ruling in March 2017, Judge Thomas Russell decided “a genuine issue of material fact exists” and a jury — not the court — should determine whether the defendants used the “legal process as a ‘threat or club’ to force Cherry off city council.”
In August 2017, the insurance company for the City of Hopkinsville agreed to pay Cherry $150,000 as part of a settlement for her lawsuit against the city. The City did not admit to wrongdoing as part of the settlement.
The News Edge reached out to Police Chief Clayton Sumner for a comment about the Lt. Alexander’s indictment, but we were told he was out of town attending a meeting.
