WHITESBURG, Ky. (WKYT) – Letcher County Sheriff Mickey Stines will be arraigned on Wednesday.
Stines faces murder charges for shooting Judge Kevin Mullins last week.
He will be tried in Letcher County.
The judge presiding over the arraignment against Sheriff Mickey Stines is actually a district judge for Carter, Elliot and Morgan counties.
For context, defendants usually appear before their local district judge. In Sheriff Stines’ case, however, that judge was Judge Kevin Mullins, the man he is accused of killing.
At the arraignment, Judge Wilhoit will read the charges against Sheriff Stines.
A plea is entered on his behalf and bail is set.
The judge will also schedule a preliminary hearing to determine whether there is enough evidence to send the case to the grand jury.
If the grand jury returns an indictment, he will be formally charged in district court, but Sheriff Stines will not appear in court for his arraignment.
He will appear virtually before a special judge on Wednesday.
He is being held outside of Letcher County for security reasons. The state does not want a sheriff to share a cell with people he has previously arrested.
Stines is being held about an hour away in Leslie County.
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