Trigg County Sheriff Aaron Acree has entered a guilty plea to misdemeanor charges in relation to incidents that occurred in 2022—including two counts of first-degree official misconduct and two counts of menacing.
Acree was originally indicted for charges of assault in the fourth degree, two counts of first-degree official misconduct and one count of third-degree terroristic threatening, but he pled guilty to the amended charges in Trigg Circuit Court Tuesday. Special Judge Jack Telle of Marshall County presided over the case where Marshall County Attorney Jason Darnall served as special prosecutor.
According to court documents, the plea agreement clarifies that one of the official misconduct charges is in relation to the rental of a guest room at Lake Barkley Lodge, while the other count involves the incident with a victim, Crystal Smith, at the Trigg County Sheriff’s Office where Acree threatened Smith after she broke into his residence earlier in the year. Both of the menacing counts pertain to the incident at the Sheriff’s Office.
Smith recently pled guilty to third-degree burglary in connection to the break-in.
The plea agreement comes with the conditions that Acree will have no contact with Smith except for formal legal proceedings, payment of restitution in the amount of $663 and a two-year probationary period.
In the plea agreement document, the Commonwealth explained the reason for the amended charges, contending that two witnesses described Acree’s threats as “conditional” in nature, citing the Castle Doctrine, which would allow a person to use force against an individual if they unlawfully entered their residence.
As to the original fourth-degree assault charge, the Commonwealth says there would need to be proof beyond a reasonable doubt of a physical injury, and there were no photos of any injuries, and the victim reportedly never sought treatment for injuries.
Darnall goes on to state that he’s aware of the public interest in the case, but that neither the Commonwealth or the Trigg County Court has the power or authority over Acree’s status as the Trigg County Sheriff, a position he was re-elected to in November of 2022. In the future, his position as sheriff would be in the hands of other entities, such as the Kentucky General Assembly, the Governor of Kentucky or the body politic of Trigg County.