Brown pleads guilty
Frankie Brown, the former McCreary County Sheriff’s Deputy who was accused of falsely claiming he had been shot by an unknown assailant on June 24, officially pled guilty to two of the lesser charges against him Thursday, avoiding a trial.
Appearing before Judge Cathy Prewitt in McCreary County Circuit Court Thursday Brown agreed to an offer from Commonwealths Attorney John Blevins, which would allow him to avoid the most serious charge against him, while still facing some justice for his actions.
Brown pled guilty to the two misdemeanor charges of official misconduct and filing a false police report and will serve a total of 30 days behind bars, as well as an order to pay restitution to the Kentucky State Police.
According to Court documents the misconduct charge, carried a one-year sentence, and the false report charge carried an 11-month sentence. Both sentences are to run concurrently and after serving 30 days in jail the remainder of the sentence would be conditionally discharged for two years; as long as no further violations occurred.
As part of the agreement Brown will serve a total of 30 days in the Leslie County Detention Center, with the time broken up in to 15 weekend stays – Saturday to Monday.
Brown was also ordered to pay restitution to the Kentucky State Police for the time and equipment used in the investigation. Brown will pay $100 a month until the $2,717.80 cost is satisfied.
The felony charge, tampering with physical evidence, was dismissed without prejudice. That charge could have carried a one to five year prison sentence.
Kentucky State Police Lieutenant Bill Elliotte was on hand for the hearing and agreed to the terms.
Brown’s claim of being shot while on duty sparked an intensive search for a suspect in the case with multiple law enforcement agencies responding to the area to assist in the search.
But as the KSP conducted their investigation in to the matter, it was discovered that the ballistic evidence recovered, namely a bullet fragment lodged in the deputy’s vest, appeared that the shot came from the officer’s own gun. Additionally, the KSP reported that Brown’s injuries were not consistent with his story.
When questioned about the evidence, Brown reportedly denied the allegation but was arrested two weeks ago and formerly charged.
Sheriff Randy Waters stated he had placed the deputy, who had been serving for only a few months as a volunteer, under suspension once the investigation began to point toward a false claim.
“I want to make this absolutely clear: no one is above the law,” Waters said at the time of the arrest. “Putting on a badge does not place us above the citizens we serve to protect. The badge is a symbol that citizens can look to in times of trouble. Anyone that abuses the public trust not only harms this department, but also damages the reputation of law enforcement officers world-wide.”
