Former Todd County sheriff and most recently former Todd County deputy jailer Billy Stokes has been arrested for sodomy and official misconduct for allegedly coercing an inmate into a sexual encounter last month at the jail.
Kentucky State Police began investigating the alleged April 26 incident after a witness notified authorities about seeing the encounter.
A warrant alleges that the 58-year old Stokes was observed in a hallway on video with two inmates. Stokes is seen pointing for one of the inmates to go toward a laundry room and he then goes into a maintenance room without cameras with the male victim.
About four and a half minutes later, Stokes and the inmate are seen exiting the room with Stokes’ shirt and pants disheveled after they had been neat before going inside, according to the warrant.
Furthermore, during the encounter a witness is seen on video walking past the maintenance room and looking inside. That witness would tell investigators that they saw Stokes sitting in a chair with the victim’s head in Stokes ‘genital area,’ saying it appeared he was performing oral sex.
The witness said they could see the ‘flap’ of Stokes’ pants, meaning they were open.
The victim initially denied any sexual contact with Stokes, but in a second interview said he lied the first time due to threats by Stokes.
He said Stokes made him perform oral sex on him on the day in question and threatened that if he told anyone, he’d never see his kids again.
Stokes was arrested Wednesday morning by the Todd County Sheriff’s Department and served with a warrant for third-degree sodomy and first-degree official misconduct.
He was lodged in the Logan County Jail.
Todd County Jailer Jeff Penick says Stokes was terminated, effective May 1.
Stokes served one term as Todd County sheriff from 2007 through 2010.