Kentucky - Judge killed, sheriff arrested in Letcher County courthouse shooting - Sep. 19, 2024

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Simply Southern said:
You are correct, it is a pension plan.
This is the 2023 Audit...

LETCHER COUNTY
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENT
December 31, 2022
(Continued)

Note 2. Employee Retirement System and Other Post-Employment Benefits
The sheriff’s office has elected to participate, pursuant to KRS 78.530, in the County Employees Retirement
System (CERS), which is administered by the Kentucky Public Pensions Authority (KPPA). This is a cost-
sharing, multiple-employer, defined benefit pension plan, which covers all eligible full-time employees and
provides for retirement, disability, and death benefits to plan members. Benefit contributions and provisions are
established by statute.
The sheriff’s contribution for calendar year 2020 was $100,380, calendar year 2021 was $85,122, and calendar
year 2022 was $70,744.
Click to expand...
Can’t load the attachment. Isn’t his salary $115k/year? Why are his contributions so high? Is that including the County’s contribution also?
 
Chimera said:
Nooo ! Really ?? (Jk)
Smh.
Even if by chance Stines was found not guilty, his days as a LEO are pretty much over.
Was it worth it ? (minor sarcasm intended) :rolleyes:
No one has the right to take the law into their own hands, not even a sheriff.
With more power he had greater responsibility and as such should be judged more harshly, Imo.
Omo.
Click to expand...
He was retiring anyway. I am not judging the man until I hear the motive.
 
Chimera said:
Nooo ! Really ?? (Jk)
Smh.
Even if by chance Stines was found not guilty, his days as a LEO are pretty much over.
Was it worth it ? (minor sarcasm intended) :rolleyes:
No one has the right to take the law into their own hands, not even a sheriff.
With more power he had greater responsibility and as such should be judged more harshly, Imo.
Omo.
Click to expand...
Especially a sheriff.
The agreement of people to have police at all, is that they wont take justice into their own hands with its endless feuds and retributions.
 
KonaHonu said:

Members

www.kyret.ky.gov www.kyret.ky.gov

Stines is in Tier 1 based on when he joined the sheriff's department as a deputy. He is entitled to a pension of Final Compensation * Benefit Factor * Years of Service = $115,000 * 2.50% * 22 = $63,250 per year for life starting now when he is 43. That assumes he is in the police retirement system. If he is in the regular retirement system the 2.50% changes to 2.49% so he would make $62,997. They also pay most of his insurance for him, wife, and daughter.

He is eligible for full retirement because he would be in the hazardous category and had completed more than 20 years of service.




Where did you see that he listed a 401(k) as an asset? That would not make any sense. As a public employee he would not be eligible for one.
Click to expand...
not the OP but someone the other day found audit docs from the county that showed his contributions to a 401K type retirement fund. That info is probably several pages back now.
 
GoBuckeyes said:
He was retiring anyway. I am not judging the man until I hear the motive.
Click to expand...
I'm not judging anyone in this specific case.
The courts will decide that.
Just making a generalized point concerning those who wield more authority over the rest of the population.

Agreed re. wanting to know more about the motive.
It's still hard to imagine a valid reason to take another person's life.
That is why we have a justice system.
Sheriff Stines could have let the system work in the way it was intended to do so.
Imo.
Omo.
 
Chimera said:
I'm not judging in this specific case.
The courts will decide that.
Just making a generalized point concerning those who wield more authority over the rest of the population.

Agreed re. wanting to know more about the motive.
It's still hard to imagine a valid reason to take another person's life.
That is why we have a justice system.
Sheriff Stines could have let the system work in the way it was intended to do so.
Imo.
Omo.
Click to expand...

Yes, I agree. The idea that Stines went to lunch with his friend of 20 years, dined outdoors at a street side cafe and returned with Mullins to the Courthouse only to shoot him dead just overwhelms my brain! And there a whistleblower programs if he believed Mullins was involved in illegal activity that needed to be stopped. Vigilante justice was not the law that Stiles was sworn to uphold. MOO
 
Retirement Benefits? Possible Forfeiture w Additional Charge(s) & Conviction?

@KonaHona Thx for posting a link & quote of this statute. :)
61.535 Cessation of membership -- Conditions -- Forfeiture of retirement benefits.

Per ¶(3) this forfeiture provision is applicable to a member only for a conviction "of a "FELONY RELATED TO HIS EMPLOYMENT" (<----my caps)
As charge(s?) now stand, are they “related to his employment?” IDK.
If felony conviction is not related to his employment, then forfeiture clause does not apply, imo.

OTOH, could LE & prosecutor unearth evidence to support a felony related to his employment and file additional felony charges related to Stines' employment? Possible but IDK.


IF a county employee like a Sheriff has a hand in the till, say - endorsing checks made payable to Letcher County and depositing to his own personal a/c at a bank or financial institution (or spouse's or friend's a/c, well, any a/c other than L. County's official a/c'(s)), which may be generally thought of as EMBEZZLEMENT, KY classifies it as "ABUSE OF PUBLIC TRUST" per below. imo Relates to his employment. imo
or
IF "public servant" pays or accepts a felony-level BRIBE per below, it relates to his employment. imo. A sheriff, i.e., "public servant" himself, may pay a bribe to or accept a bribe from another "public servant." May or may not be relate to judge's death, IDK.
A few more offenses "relating to employment" are noted below.

Not saying that Stines has engaged in any felony or misdemeanor conduct along these lines relating to his employment.
Just saying that it's possible that IF an additional felony-level charge is filed & results in a conviction, he may forfeit his retirement rights & benefits. imo

Just a couple hypothetical examples of crimes relating to employment. imo
_____________________________
Selected KY Statutes

"521.020 BRIBERY OF PUBLIC SERVANT....Class C FELONY." (my CAPS)
"(a) He offers, confers, or agrees to confer any pecuniary benefit upon a public
servant with the intent to influence the public servant's vote, opinion,
judgment, exercise of discretion, or other action in his official capacity as a
public servant; or
"While a public servant, he solicits, accepts, or agrees to accept any pecuniary
benefit upon an agreement or understanding that his vote, opinion, judgment,
exercise of discretion, or other action as a public servant will thereby be
influenced."
^ https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law...ic servant,servant will thereby be influenced.
"521.030 Soliciting unlawful compensation....Nope, only a misdemeanor."
^ https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=19883

Chapter 522. Official misconduct.
"522.010 Definitions"
"522.020 Official misconduct in the first degree" Nope, only a misdemeanor.
"522.030 Official misconduct in the second degree" Nope, only a misdemeanor.
"522.040 MISUSE OF CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION....Class D FELONY." (my CAPS)
^https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=19890
" 522.050 ABUSE OF PUBLIC TRUST.... FELONY." (my CAPS)
^ https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=19891

^ Kentucky Revised Statutes - Chapter 522
 
Last edited:
Chimera said:
I'm not judging anyone in this specific case.
The courts will decide that.
Just making a generalized point concerning those who wield more authority over the rest of the population.

Agreed re. wanting to know more about the motive.
It's still hard to imagine a valid reason to take another person's life.
That is why we have a justice system.
Sheriff Stines could have let the system work in the way it was intended to do so.
Imo.
Omo.
Click to expand...
With as much power as a Sheriff has, imoo, it pales in comparison to the power of a Judge.

Whatever the motivation, maybe Sheriff Stines didn't have faith in the justice system in this case?? Just speculation.
 
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