Former Trigg County Sheriff Jason Barnes was formally sentenced in Trigg Circuit Court Tuesday afternoon, where he was agranted probation.
Barnes recently entered a guilty plea to tampering with a witness and unlawful transaction with a minor in relation to 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 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.
Defense attorney David Rye argue Tuesday that Barnes has been ‘sufficiently punished’ due to his actions and has strong feelings of regret, and he requested the recommended three-year sentence be probated.
Barnes apologized to the court, and the Trigg County community, saying he feels embarrassment and shame over the incidents.
After consideration, Judge C.A. Woody Woodall ultimately granted the motion for probation, but also ordered that Barnes must serve 90 days of house arrest to start his probation.
Barnes will be unable to work in law enforcement again and he resigned from the Trigg County Sheriff’s Office in August of 2020.