Attorney General Daniel Cameron has appointed a special prosecutor to direct a Kentucky State Police investigation of alleged misconduct against Trigg County Sheriff Aaron Acree.
The News Edge filed an open records request with Cameron’s office requesting information about any investigation regarding the sheriff and the Trigg County sheriff’s office.
Commonwealth’s Attorney Carrie Ovey Wiggins sent a letter to the office of special prosecutions in the attorney general’s office on April 18 requesting a special prosecutor be assigned to an investigation involving Acree.
In the letter, Ovey-Wiggins said a Kentucky State Police investigation revealed Acree may have committed the offense of official misconduct. She went on to say that both she and County Attorney Randall Braboy believed they had a conflict of interest in the case.
On April 27, Cameron’s office appointed Todd County attorney Jeffrey Traughber as the special prosecutor to represent the Commonwealth in the case.
The News Edge reached out to the state police special investigations unit known as DESI in May and was told they would not comment on any potential investigation involving the sheriff.
A call to Traughber’s office requesting comment on his intention to present any findings to a Trigg County court was not returned Thursday afternoon.
Speculation of an investigation has been increasingly rampant in the community over the past few weeks. A concerned citizen, Lisa Champion, addressed the investigation at Tuesday’s Trigg County Fiscal Court meeting. Magistrate Larry Lawrence said he had only heard hearsay and not much more.
Acree began his career in law enforcement with the Cadiz Police Department and moved to the Kentucky State Police. He was appointed sheriff by Judge-executive Hollis Alexander in August 2020 following the resignation of former Sheriff Jason Barnes, who left office after he entered guilty pleas to charges of tampering with a witness and unlawful transaction with a minor.
Alexander told the News Edge he had been contacted and questioned by state police regarding Acree but could not provide any further details.
Speculation and some inside knowledge of the investigation have prompted four people to file their intent to run as write-in candidates for sheriff in the November general election. Acree will be the only candidate whose name will appear on the ballot.
Official misconduct is defined in two different degrees — both misdemeanors. Any misdemeanor charge that results from the investigation would be handled at the district court level in Trigg County.
