Kentucky sheriff accused of gunning down judge is retiring, lawyer says

A lawyer for the Kentucky sheriff accused of fatally shooting a judge in his chambers announced the law enforcement official’s retirement Monday after the state’s governor threatened to remove him from office.

In a statement, the lawyer for Shawn “Mickey” Stines, 43, said the decision was effective immediately and was not a concession to the first-degree murder charge Stines faces in connection with the Sept. 19 shooting of Letcher County District Judge Kevin Mullins at a courthouse in Whitesburg.

“Rather, Sheriff Stines has made this decision to allow for a successor to continue to protect his beloved constituents while he addresses the legal process ahead of him,” said the lawyer, Jeremy Bartley.

In a letter dated Wednesday, the general counsel for Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear told Stines he had until Friday to resign or face removal proceedings under a state law that allows governors to fire peace officers for neglect.

Stines pleaded not guilty to the murder charge last week.

A spokesman for the Kentucky State Police, which is investigating the shooting, has said the shooting occurred after an argument. The agency has not identified a possible motive in the killing.

Stines was deposed three days before the shooting over a 2022 federal lawsuit that accuses a Letcher County deputy of sexually abusing a woman in Mullins’ office, a lawyer for the plaintiff in the case has said.

The suit alleged that Stines failed to adequately train and supervise the deputy.

In a filing, a lawyer for Stines said that he was protected from being sued in connection with the allegations because of his position as an elected official and law enforcement officer.