Christian County Commonwealth’s Attorney Rick Boling will be absent from courtrooms following protests outside the Christian County Justice Center calling for his resignation.
The protests were prompted by the release of a letter Boling sent to Governor Matt Bevin, asking for convicted sex offender Dayton Jones to be pardoned.
Boling took campaign contributions from the sex offender’s grandparents. Boling said the letter was “poorly written” and apologized for writing the letter, but he has refused to resign. Chief Circuit Judge of Christain County John Atkins said both himself and Boling agreed on Boling’s absence.
“He has voluntarily agreed to stay out of the courtroom pending further orders of the court or further developments in the situation,” said Atkins.
Boiling’s assistants, Jerad Smith and Stephanie Bolen, will be handling Boiling’s current cases. Atkins said Boiling will remain absent pending further order of the Court.
The decision was made by Christian Circuit Court Judge Andrew Self, Atkins, and Boling.
(This story first ran on WKMS, the public radio station at Murray State University.)
Hannah Bullard is a Murray State Journalism major. She found her place in radio during her second year in Murray. She is from Herndon, Kentucky, a small farming community on the Kentucky/Tennessee stateline. She first discovered her love for NPR when she stumbled upon "This American Life" while traveling. She believes everyone has a story worth telling. Her favorite pieces to produce are centered around people and their community. She hopes to continue a career in journalism through broadcast or non-profit work.
