Kentucky town shaken as sheriff jailed in murder judge's trial | News, Sports, Jobs

WHITESBURG, Ky. (AP) — Residents of a small Appalachian town grappled Friday with a shooting involving two of its most prominent citizens: a judge who was gunned down in his courthouse and a local sheriff charged with his murder.

“It’s so sad. I hate it.” said Mike Watts, Letcher County Circuit Court Clerk. “They are both friends. I worked with them for years.”

The preliminary investigation indicates that Letcher County Sheriff Shawn “Mickey” According to Kentucky State Police, Stines shot District Judge Kevin Mullins multiple times following an argument inside the courthouse.

Mullins, 54, who served as judge for 15 years, died at the scene, and Stines, 43, surrendered without incident. He has been charged with one count of first-degree murder.

The fatal shooting stunned the close-knit town of Whitesburg, the county seat, with a population of about 1,700, 145 miles southeast of Lexington.

The key question is what could have led to the shooting.

Stines was deposed Monday in a lawsuit filed by two women, one of whom alleged that a deputy forced her to have sex in Mullins' office for six months in exchange for her escaping from jail. The lawsuit accuses the sheriff of “deliberate indifference to failure to adequately train and supervise” the deputy.

Former deputy sheriff Ben Fields pleaded guilty to raping the prisoner while she was under house arrest. Fields was sentenced this year to six months in prison and then six and a half years of probation for rape, sodomy, perjury and tampering with a prisoner monitoring device, The Mountain Eagle reported. Three charges related to a second woman were dropped because she is now deceased.

Stines fired Fields, who succeeded him as Mullins' bailiff, for “unbecoming conduct” after the lawsuit is filed in 2022, the Courier Journal reported at the time.

Those who know the sheriff and judge have nothing but praise for them, recalling how Mullins helped people with substance abuse disorders get treatment and how Stines led efforts to combat the opioid crisis. They worked together for years and were friends.

Those who knew Stines also struggled to understand how someone they described as a family man could kill someone.

Jessica Slone, a distant relative of Stines and a longtime Letcher County resident, said she was shocked when she heard the news. She was at the dollar store with her nephew when he told her Mullins had been shot.

“I asked him seriously if he was okay. He said, 'No, he's dead.'” she said. “But at the time, I didn't know Mickey had done it. When I found out, I was shopping and I got really emotional and started praying.”

She said Stines was close to his children and worked hard to get fentanyl and methamphetamine off the streets of the community and help people struggling with substance use disorders recover.

Patty Wood, the widow of District Judge Jim Wood, Mullins' predecessor, said she had been a close friend of Stines and his family for years. She said she was shocked by the shooting and Stines' arrest.

“You couldn't find a better person on the face of the earth than Mickey Stines. I don't know what happened.” she said.

“I know the Mickey character. And I know there must be something that did this.” she said. “I can't believe he just came in and shot her for no reason.”

“He took the time to listen to people” she said.

Jennifer L. Taylor, a Whitesburg attorney, said Stines had a big heart and was looking forward to retiring from law enforcement. In a recent conversation with her, Stines discussed the possibility of going to law school. Mullins, she said, “He took the time to listen to people.”

“Keep our community in our prayers,” Taylor said. “It’s going to be a difficult time.”

Several people also spoke of how a relatively calm day in court quickly turned into chaos.

Watts said he saw Mullins and Stines together shortly before noon Thursday, about three hours before the shooting, when he went to the judge's chambers to ask him to sign papers. Mullins and Stines were preparing to go to lunch together, Watts said.

It seemed like a normal interaction, except Stines seemed calmer than usual. He thought the two men had a good working relationship and had no idea what might have provoked the violent encounter.

Watts, who was on another floor of the courthouse, never heard any gunshots and only learned of the shooting when his son called to tell him there was a “active shooter” at the courthouse.

Taylor said she was in her law office, a short distance from the courthouse, when the shooting happened Thursday. “We just saw cars speeding past.” she said. “I'm still in shock. It's unreal.”

Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman said his office would work with a regional commonwealth's attorney as special prosecutors in the criminal case, since the county's top prosecutor, Matt Butler, recused himself and his office. Butler said he and the judge married two sisters and their children acted like siblings.

“We will conduct a thorough investigation and seek justice,” Coleman said on social media.

Kentucky Supreme Court Chief Justice Laurance B. VanMeter was in Whitesburg Friday and said he came to show his support for the community and “our Kentucky Court of Justice family,” he said. “They are visibly in shock and mourning.”

VanMeter commented on the swirl of speculation on social media about what sparked the shooting.

“I know it's hard to do, but I hope people on social media will just respect their privacy and their grief and let them grieve.” he said. “It's just a tragic and horrible situation.”

Letcher County Judge-Executive closed the county courthouse Friday.

It's unclear whether Stines had an attorney — state police referred inquiries to a spokesman who did not immediately respond by email.

Mullins has served as a district judge in Letcher County since he was appointed by former Gov. Steve Beshear in 2009 and elected the following year.