The former Trigg County sheriff who recently resigned has been indicted by a Trigg County grand jury for a misdemeanor of providing alcohol to a person under 21 and for a felony of tampering with the testimony of a potential witness.
Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron in a press release Friday said an investigation by Kentucky State Police, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Kentucky, and the F.B.I. found that former Trigg County Sheriff Jason Barnes provided alcohol to a person under 21 in February The investigation also revealed Barnes several months later used deceit in tampering with the testimony of a potential witness.
“Any individual who tampers with a witness and facilitates underage drinking must be held accountable for their crimes, especially members of the law enforcement community,” said Cameron in a statement.
Barnes has been charged with one count of unlawful transaction with a minor-third degree, a Class A misdemeanor, and one count of tampering with a witness, a Class D felony.
The Attorney General’s Office of Special Prosecutions is appointed to handle the case. WKMS previously reported Barnes resigned earlier this month and that Kentucky State Police was investigating the sheriff’s office for criminal conduct. A warrant is out for Barnes’ arrest.
