Commonwealth’s Attorney Rick Boling is no longer making appearances in Christian Circuit Court and calls continue for him to resign.
Christian Circuit Judge John Atkins says Boling will remain absent from court proceedings for the foreseeable future as part of an informal, mutual agreement between Boling and the local judges. Judge Andrew Self agreed with that characterization of the arrangement.
Boling’s assistant commonwealth’s attorneys—Stephanie Bolen and Jerad Smith—have been handling all cases in the courtroom.
Boling wrote a letter to former Governor Matt Bevin on behalf of Dayton Jones, who received a commutation of his sentence during the final hours of Bevin’s administration. In that letter Boling claims Jones was the victim of a political conspiracy and accused former Commonwealth’s Attorney Lynn Pryor and Judge Atkins of being politically motivated.
Boling later apologized for what he said was a poorly-written letter, saying he meant only to convey the thoughts of Jones’ family and that he himself doesn’t believe the local court system to be political in nature.
Jones was one of four suspects who pled guilty for their roles in the November, 2014 sexual assault of an unconscious 15-year old male at a party on Lafayette Road. The victim was treated at an area hospital for life-threatening injuries.
A rally was held outside the Christian County Justice Center Friday morning, where protestors carrying signs demanded that Boling resign. Among those protestors was Mary Martins, who retired as assistant chief of the Hopkinsville Police Department in 2004.
She investigated sex crimes for much of her career and said her first thought was the victim when she learned of the Jones commutation and letter written by Boling.
She applauds the agreement keeping Boling out of the courtroom for the immediate future.
Martins says the group that’s now hosted two “Resign Rick” rallies may circulate a petition demanding other local officials take a stand either with or against Boling.
Boling has said he will not resign, but he has not commented on the agreement to be absent from court.
Jones remains out on bond after being indicted in Oldham County for promoting contraband and for being a persistent felony offender in the second-degree. Lisa Lamb with the Kentucky Department of Corrections tells WHOP that Jones was ordered earlier this month to register as a sex offender as soon as possible, but his name does not yet appear on the registry.
Jones would have not had to register if he had been issued a pardon, but a commutation does not remove that requirement.