Former Trigg County Sheriff Jason Barnes is set to take a plea deal in his tampering and unlawful transaction with a minor case, with proceedings continued in Trigg Circuit Court Wednesday afternoon.
He had been set to enter into a plea agreement Wednesday, but defense attorney David Rye requested a continuance to allow him more time to go over the parameters of the agreement with his client before moving forward.
Trial would have began December 27, so Judge C.A. Woody Woodall set the plea date for that time at 9 a.m. to take place virtually.
No details of the potential plea deal were discussed during court.
Barnes is charged with tempering with a witness and unlawful transaction with a minor. The charges stem from an investigation conducted jointly by the Kentucky State Police, the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Kentucky, which reportedly found that in February of 2020, Barnes provided alcohol to a person under the age of 21.
They also discovered that several months later, during the course of the investigation, he knowingly practiced deceit with the intent to affect the testimony of a potential witness.
Barnes resigned from the Trigg County Sheriff’s Office in August of 2020.