A federal judge is allowing former Barren County Sheriff Chris Eaton to remain free while he appeals his conviction on two counts of witness tampering. U.S. District Judge Joseph McKinley concluded that Eaton has raised two reasonable issues that could result in his winning a new trial. Eaton had been scheduled to report to federal prison by Sept. 30 to begin serving an 18-month prison sentence. He was convicted this year in federal court of directing two deputies to write false incident reports for the FBI. Prosecutors had sought to force his immediate surrender, but McKinley noted that Eaton has complied with all pre-trial release conditions and is a flight risk.
Judge Says Ex-Sheriff Can Stay Free During Appeal
