Former Christian County Sheriff’s Deputy Steve Tucker has until the end of his six month jail sentence to pay the restitution he owes, after appearing in Christian Circuit Court Wednesday due to failing to pay it within the agreed upon time.
Tucker originally had 90 days to pay the $55,000 restitution to the Juvenile Drug Court program using his retirement fund. Defense attorney H. B. Quinn takes the blame for the failure to pay, saying it was a miscommunication between him and his client when they discovered the retirement wouldn’t cover the amount owed.
Tucker apologized for the theft of the money, saying he hurt his family, other law enforcement officers, and specifically the Juvenile Drug Court.
Following further questioning about what steps are being taken by Tucker to get the money, including refiling with the Kentucky Retirement System to get the amount available, Circuit Judge Andrew Self deferred from ruling on a motion to void the diversion agreement.
A hearing for a status update was set for August 7. While in court, a $4,000 check was put towards the amount Tucker’s owes, which Judge Self received in a letter from an unnamed individual before proceedings began.
In February, Tucker pleaded guilty to felony theft in the amount of $55,000 from the Christian County Juvenile Services Foundation, which oversees the Juvenile Drug Court program.