The Kentucky sheriff accused of killing District Judge Kevin Mullins in a Letcher County courthouse announced his resignation in September ahead of his preliminary hearing Tuesday afternoon.
Letcher County Sheriff Shawn Mickey Stines announced Monday he would be stepping down from his role as sheriff ahead of his 1 p.m. appearance in West Liberty at the Morgan County Judicial Center and under pressure from the Commonwealth’s governor. Stines has been sheriff since his election in 2018.
Governor Andy Beshear formally asked Stines to resign in a letter from his council last week around the time of Stines’ arraignment, in which he pleaded not guilty to charges including murder. Beshear’s letter requested his resignation, saying that if Stines did not resign, he would “proceed with removal” under a state statute that allows it in cases of neglect.
His request for resignation follows the death of Mullins, 54, the city’s judge since 2009, in his private chamber at the Letcher County Courthouse. No one else was injured and Stines, 43, surrendered at the scene.
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He is currently being held at the Leslie County Jail, about 50 miles east of Whitesburg, and previously appeared virtually for his arraignment in Carter County with representation from Public Defender Josh Miller. Jeremy A. Bartley’s law firm has since been listed as Stines’ private attorney, according to records obtained by The Courier Journal.
Reporter Lucas Aulbach contributed to this report. Contact breaking and trending news reporter Marina Johnson at Marina.Johnson@courier-journal.com.
This article originally appeared in the Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky Sheriff Mickey Stines resigns after letter from Governor Beshear
