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Kentucky State Police are continuing their investigation after a Letcher County district judge was allegedly shot by a local county sheriff. Here’s what we know.
Shooting at Letcher County Courthouse Who is Mickey Stines? What to know about the Letcher County sheriff charged in fatal shooting
Shooting at Letcher County Courthouse, Kentucky
KSP officials said Letcher County Sheriff Mickey Stines was arrested and charged with first-degree murder in connection with a shooting Thursday outside the Letcher County Courthouse in Whitesburg.
Department spokesman Matt Gayheart said in a news release that Post 13 in Hazard received reports of shots fired inside the courthouse at about 2:55 p.m. Multiple emergency responders arrived at the scene and found District Judge Kevin Mullins, 54, of Jackhorn, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene by the Letcher County Coroner’s Office.
Investigators concluded the shooting occurred after an argument between Stines and Mullins, Gayheart said. Stines was arrested shortly afterward without incident.
KSP continues to lead the ongoing investigation.
Kentucky Sheriff Mickey Stines kills local judge Kevin Mullins in Whitesburg
The Mountain Eagle, a local newspaper in Whitesburg, reported that Stines went into the judge’s outer office and told court employees he needed to speak to Mullins alone. The pair entered the inner office, closed the door and shots rang out shortly afterward, according to the report. Stines then walked out of the room with his hands raised and surrendered to police.
Governor Andy Beshear confirmed on social media that a district judge in Letcher County was killed in a shooting.
Letcher County Sheriff arrested, faces murder charge after fatal shooting at courthouse
Who is Kentucky District Judge Kevin Mullins in Letcher County?
Mullins was a district judge for the 47th Judicial District, which governs Letcher County. He was appointed to the office by former Gov. Steve Beshear in 2009, according to an archived article in The Mountain Eagle. He was elected to the office the following year, according to election records.
Before becoming a judge, he served as an assistant prosecutor in Letcher County since 2001.
He graduated from the University of Kentucky and attended the Louis D. Brandeis School of Law at the University of Louisville for postgraduate studies.
Mullins has also been a proponent of programs that direct people with substance use disorders to treatment rather than incarceration. He championed a program in Letcher County that allowed people with mental health issues to have charges dropped if they successfully completed a treatment program, The Mountain Eagle previously reported.
Mark O’Brien, site manager of the Letcher County branch of The Hub, a provider of addiction treatment and harm reduction services, said Mullins supported him throughout his recovery process. Mullins pushed O’Brien to expand The Hub in Letcher County to provide another nearby service option for people in trouble with the law.
“The whole community grew together with Judge Mullin to help people have a successful recovery,” O’Brien said. “He recognized that the community had a problem, and he called everyone together and said, ‘Let’s solve the problem. Let’s not try to hide it, let’s try to solve it.'”
Who is Kevin Mullins? What you should know about the Letcher County shooting
Who is Letcher County Sheriff Mickey Stines?
Stines is from Neon, Kentucky, and lives in McRoberts, a community in Letcher County, according to his Facebook account.
According to a 2007 Mountain Eagle article, Stines served as a bailiff in Letcher County District Court before being elected sheriff in 2018.
In a 2022 lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court alleging that a Letcher County deputy sheriff offered “preferential treatment in exchange for sexual favors,” Stines was named as a defendant for “allegedly failing to properly train” the deputy sheriff, the Courier Journal previously reported.
The lawsuit says the abuse occurred in Mullins’ office, but does not say whether he was aware of it or whether he was involved in any wrongdoing. The lawsuit also alleges Stines did not “appropriately respond” to reports or suspicions.
Stines subsequently fired the deputy for “improper conduct,” the Courier Journal previously reported.
In 2019, Stines spoke out about the “meth epidemic” ravaging Letcher County after a group of five students were involved in a methamphetamine incident, according to a report in the Owensboro Messenger-Enquirer.
According to an electronically filed witness statement, Stines, believed to be 44, was scheduled to testify Monday in connection with the 2022 lawsuit filed by the former deputy sheriff and the woman who claimed she was promised “preferential treatment in exchange for sexual favors.”
Who is Mickey Stines? What to know about the Letcher County sheriff charged in fatal shooting
Where is Letcher County, Kentucky?
Letcher County is located in southeastern Kentucky, about 164 miles southeast of Lexington and about 147 miles north of Knoxville, Tennessee. According to U.S. Census data, the population was 21,548 people in 2020. Letcher County calls itself “the heart of the Appalachians” and has a total area of about 330 square miles.
According to a tourism website, the county is known for its Appalachian hiking trails, horseback riding, fishing and outdoor camping.
A Kentucky judge was shot and killed in a courthouse in Whitesburg. Where is Letcher County?
Where is the District Court of Letcher County, Kentucky?
The Letcher County District Court – where Thursday’s alleged shooting occurred – is located off the city’s main street. Mullins, who oversaw the 47th Judicial District, was one of five judges who worked in the building.
While details about the shooting remain scarce, an earlier article in the Louisville Courier-Journal reported that a Kentucky woman filed a lawsuit in federal court alleging that a Letcher County sheriff’s deputy forced a Kentucky woman to have sex with him in exchange for lenient treatment.
The complaint alleges that the abuse occurred in District Judge Kevin Mullins’ office, but fails to indicate that Mullins had any knowledge of it or was involved in any wrongdoing.
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