Letcher County, KY Sheriff arrested in shooting death of District Judge

Sheriff Mickey Stines was arrested after surrendering himself to police. The shooting occurred in the judge’s chambers about 3 p.m. this afternoon (September 19).
Stines allegedly walked into the judge’s outer office, told court employees and others gathered there that he needed to speak with District Judge Kevin D. Mullins alone. The two then went into the inner office, closed the door and those outside heard shots. Stines walked out with his hands up and surrendered to police.

Court employees were on the sidewalk outside the courthouse in shock following the shooting. Stines was handcuffed in the foyer of the courthouse. Officials expected the investigation to continue for several more hours.

Sheriff arrested in shooting death of District Judge - The Mountain Eagle

Kentucky State Police and Letcher County Coroner Perry Fowler were still at the Letcher County Courthouse at 5 p.m. today investigating the shooting death of Letcher District Judge Kevin D. Mullins, apparently by the Letcher County Sheriff. Officials say Sheriff Mickey Stines was arrested after...

www.themountaineagle.com

 

[RoundPeg]

I think they'll have to explain what lead him to a place of some sort of temporary insanity. Whatever that was, would have to be convincing enough to make a jury buy it.

He'd still end up in an asylum unless he gets the charges reduced.

 

[Kimster]

He'd still end up in an asylum unless he gets the charges reduced.

He probably figures he’s safer there because I don’t think they’re very nice to cops in prisons, are they?

 

[GrandmaBear]

So little has been released to the public so it's hard to say what's really going on with Mickey Stines and why he did what he did.
I think there are a LOT of factors that include his home life, his kid especially, the power dynamic with the late judge, and probably some other raunchy details we haven't learned of yet.
Assuming this goes to trial, we'll learn some of those details that may or may not make it all make sense.

At times I'm tempted to look at other things, meaning "talk" but in cases I've seen such in, it just makes it harder and sometimes rumor becomes fact when it's not

Anyhow I was curious though and thanks for touching on what may be the basics and avoiding any all out talk or rabbit holes which I suspect are out there just from reading between the lines. I appreciate it.

It's fairly easy to assume some things too just based on what many, I know self, have seen in our own areas... Just the screwing around and leaving one for another in our own courthouses in the area over the years I mean WOW. Could I share some stories however they are fact, not stories, but then there ARE the stories on top of it.

I suppose if I wanted to know a bit more and weed through the talk I could go look.

I guess for me, murder is just wrong, not that I could never understand it in some situations. And I've seen judges that imo should NEVER be judges and are beyond despicable yet they get in... Usually appointed as some would NEVER be voted for in my opinion....

It's interesting how while it would all seem to be under one umbrella, I mean any courthouse, judges, sheriff's department, clerks, DAs, etc. there can be such animosity. Power struggles. Again screwing around or using positions. And one department not working with the other, etc. Yet we are supposed to trust THAT justice system...

Man again could I tell stories of things here over the years... And I could back them up IF the news articles could still be found before shut down...

I'm sidetracking but it just seems by educated guess here to definitely be something between the sheriff and judge... OR one was playing or hurting the other or with someone they love or done to someone they love, if love and not possession and power even come into the equation. Probably not.

Murder is still murder though. And while at times someone in positions of power don't get the same treatment or sentence as others would, they actually should know even better. A sheriff or deputy is taught to hold fire, not shoot to kill but in certain situations... Or should be...

Again, thanks for the response. More will come out most likely IF it isn't swept under the rug, hushed, etc...

 

[Tresir]

At times I'm tempted to look at other things, meaning "talk" but in cases I've seen such in, it just makes it harder and sometimes rumor becomes fact when it's not

Anyhow I was curious though and thanks for touching on what may be the basics and avoiding any all out talk or rabbit holes which I suspect are out there just from reading between the lines. I appreciate it.

It's fairly easy to assume some things too just based on what many, I know self, have seen in our own areas... Just the screwing around and leaving one for another in our own courthouses in the area over the years I mean WOW. Could I share some stories however they are fact, not stories, but then there ARE the stories on top of it.

I suppose if I wanted to know a bit more and weed through the talk I could go look.

I guess for me, murder is just wrong, not that I could never understand it in some situations. And I've seen judges that imo should NEVER be judges and are beyond despicable yet they get in... Usually appointed as some would NEVER be voted for in my opinion....

It's interesting how while it would all seem to be under one umbrella, I mean any courthouse, judges, sheriff's department, clerks, DAs, etc. there can be such animosity. Power struggles. Again screwing around or using positions. And one department not working with the other, etc. Yet we are supposed to trust THAT justice system...

Man again could I tell stories of things here over the years... And I could back them up IF the news articles could still be found before shut down...

I'm sidetracking but it just seems by educated guess here to definitely be something between the sheriff and judge... OR one was playing or hurting the other or with someone they love or done to someone they love, if love and not possession and power even come into the equation. Probably not.

Murder is still murder though. And while at times someone in positions of power don't get the same treatment or sentence as others would, they actually should know even better. A sheriff or deputy is taught to hold fire, not shoot to kill but in certain situations... Or should be...

Again, thanks for the response. More will come out most likely IF it isn't swept under the rug, hushed, etc...

I found it shocking to see that video and know that it was real and not some tv program. I mean he was unarmed yet he shot him once then as he crawled under the table to try and get away, he shot him again a second and third time. And he was supposedly his friend? I don't even think insanity explains it, do you?

 

[GrandmaBear]

I found it shocking to see that video and know that it was real and not some tv program. I mean he was unarmed yet he shot him once then as he crawled under the table to try and get away, he shot him again a second and third time. And he was supposedly his friend? I don't even think insanity explains it, do you?

No, I don't. It's murder pure and simple imo. And yeah, talk about something caught on "film".

 

[GrandmaBear]

So I actually ran into a show on that came up for me on YT and I've watched 20 minutes of an hour on it so far and now have a fair grasp on what's said. Not sure why nothing has ever popped up for me before but my guess is that first most aren't covering maybe and 2nd I think what I'e watched recently plays into what pops up for me as suggested watches. I don't go searching for something specific too much, if I had maybe I'd have found something sooner.

So it seems much lately is coming from the D atty who is making rounds it sounds like. Talking bad powerful men I guess he's meaning higher than the sheriff, lack of sleep, concern about his family's safety. I don't know, I've seen so much D spin as we all have that I don't necessarily buy into that. I can comment on lack of sleep though, I wouldn't have thought it possible to go a month without any but it is and it takes a toll but NOT that kind of toll imo but I suppose he's saying all coupled together...

The sheriff is probably a dirty as the rest, hard to say... I haven't finished the whole show and the guy is fairly decent, only watched him a couple of times but he does keep replaying the video. I don't think that's really necessary.

There was a jailer in a county up this way who was SA'g the female inmates. He knew where the jail cameras were and would take them to those areas where the cameras didn't have a view. They had to bring in an outside judge for the case. I'll not go into that further but it was only ONE, not a whole bunch IF that's the case here.

What I'm finding most interesting is a camera in judge's chambers. This guy (the channel guy) thinks it uncommon and I'd agree but his thought was that such a thing was installed to catch the goings on being claimed. I'm not so sure.

This guy seems to up on the case enough that I'm thinking a lot isn't known and from some things here that are perhaps hinting at rumors rather than released facts, I'd guess that's the case?

So I'm guessing maybe no knows the answer but was the camera obvious or hidden, tiny or small and how quickly was the video found and outed?

For some reasons maybe all chambers should have cameras but then also for other reasons they never should so it's pretty curious. From what I know, as he said as well, it's not typical for good reason. I wish Scott covered this one, I don't think he is at least not as a main one, because he'd know, but I'd say it's not typical.

Does anyone know how the one woman died? It was mentioned but not explained how. I hope to finish it later too but not sure that will be covered at this point, I think it mostly has the D atty's recent stuff. I've watched the rerunning chat but haven't seen it mentioned.

My two takeaways thus far is probably plenty would like to think this was just in this county but I would not be so sure. Second, I think it's debatable the judge did something or whether the sheriff was worried about himself being outed. So it's known the sheriff had a deposition and his atty's claims to a point are known, but was the judge to have one too or had had one? Maybe others here know, but I don't, so just wondering.

I think there's a good chance both were/are scum but still the judge is the victim as far as a murder.

So as far as can tell, if I have it right, the sheriff was said by victims/lawsuits he should have known about the deputy, etc. Allegations of SA in the jail. There's also talk of sex in the judge's chambers right? And there was a camera. Somewhere early on this was said to be possibly about the sheriff's daughter and they exchanged phones, I have actually followed since early on, just not seeing much info here so a lot of it is just rumor, although I know the lawsuit is fact.

I'd also say I hope other areas are taking heed because I don't think this is as rare as some think or want to think. Oh maybe in some cases it's called doing the judge's wife or consenting adults or someone using their power to do their clerk who wants her job and some power too, but I think it's pretty darned common. I'm just making up examples. We have fed sex scandals too. It's far from uncommon.

I'm just wondering if the sheriff's daughter really plays into this at all. If so, it would probably only be the tip of the iceberg.

His atty is saying he was worried for safety of wife and daughter, because of powerful bad men. It could be I guess but then how does murdering someone and going to jail solve that, now you aren't home to protect them and the judge is only one man so the others are still out there no...

I kind of doubt the entire truth will ever be known here...

Just my thoughts after 20 minutes of more details.

I could have some things wrong and am glad to be corrected if so.

 

[Tresir]

The one woman who died i think it sounded like natural causes but not exactly sure. I am not sure about the camera and whether the judge or sheriff even knew it was there. The fact the sex for ankle bracelet apparently happened in the judges chambers could mean that was why the camera was there to catch those goings-on.

 

[GrandmaBear]

The one woman who died i think it sounded like natural causes but not exactly sure. I am not sure about the camera and whether the judge or sheriff even knew it was there. The fact the sex for ankle bracelet apparently happened in the judges chambers could mean that was why the camera was there to catch those goings-on.

I wonder about the woman for reasons of course. There are times I just don't buy that, Alex Cox, as an example. And so I wondered what the details are to see if believable.

I'm just wondering how that works re the camera. I mean for real reasons judge's chambers are more private generally than a courtroom, and look at how cameras are disallowed in some courtrooms. So what would have to go on to get a camera in there? The State, feds? I doubt they had the sheriff's dept. do it of that county... I find this I think the most curious. Yet the video of the shooting is out and so the fact there was one wasn't hidden fairly quickly either...

I was only ever if I recall in chambers once... It was a jury thing. Didn't pay much attn. You know even the way he was allowed in to see the judge bothered me from the beginning of this one. I mean of course, I guess maybe, someone you know, a sheriff, etc. BUT a judge is not supposed to be on any side and to me you don't do anything that the public might wonder.

How is it there, do you have cameras in chambers? Speaking of different words, here they are judges, are yours or do you call them magistrates or something else? Kidding but serious as I'm not sure.

And then WHO was aware of the camera. WAS the judge? If so you are not going to catch things in chambers that he would continue doing. Did the sheriff know? I mean he sure wasn't worried when he shot the judge how many times... That it would all be caught on camera.

I could ask a million questions and voice a lot of thoughts re the camera. It does seem the answer isn't known though, same in the video I was watching...I don't want to start but will just give a for instance--the judge could have been cooperating with some investigation and known the camera was there. Or neither may have. Or both may have.

To me, it's the biggest question and too if hidden or known, why, who installed, the purpose and so forth... I'll stop there.

 

[Tresir]

I wonder about the woman for reasons of course. There are times I just don't buy that, Alex Cox, as an example. And so I wondered what the details are to see if believable.

I'm just wondering how that works re the camera. I mean for real reasons judge's chambers are more private generally than a courtroom, and look at how cameras are disallowed in some courtrooms. So what would have to go on to get a camera in there? The State, feds? I doubt they had the sheriff's dept. do it of that county... I find this I think the most curious. Yet the video of the shooting is out and so the fact there was one wasn't hidden fairly quickly either...

I was only ever if I recall in chambers once... It was a jury thing. Didn't pay much attn. You know even the way he was allowed in to see the judge bothered me from the beginning of this one. I mean of course, I guess maybe, someone you know, a sheriff, etc. BUT a judge is not supposed to be on any side and to me you don't do anything that the public might wonder.

How is it there, do you have cameras in chambers? Speaking of different words, here they are judges, are yours or do you call them magistrates or something else? Kidding but serious as I'm not sure.

And then WHO was aware of the camera. WAS the judge? If so you are not going to catch things in chambers that he would continue doing. Did the sheriff know? I mean he sure wasn't worried when he shot the judge how many times... That it would all be caught on camera.

I could ask a million questions and voice a lot of thoughts re the camera. It does seem the answer isn't known though, same in the video I was watching...I don't want to start but will just give a for instance--the judge could have been cooperating with some investigation and known the camera was there. Or neither may have. Or both may have.

To me, it's the biggest question and too if hidden or known, why, who installed, the purpose and so forth... I'll stop there.

I have no idea about judges chambers here but pretty sure we do have them. Magistrates i would not expect to have chambers but maybe an office. Magistrates usually only deal with minor sh!t like speeding and traffic offences, childrens court and divorce courts, i think but i don't really know. I have never attended a court for any reason, from my memory. I should know a bit as hub was a copper but i realise i know very little. Never been on a jury either.

 

[GrandmaBear]

I have no idea about judges chambers here but pretty sure we do have them. Magistrates i would not expect to have chambers but maybe an office. Magistrates usually only deal with minor sh!t like speeding and traffic offences, childrens court and divorce courts, i think but i don't really know. I have never attended a court for any reason, from my memory. I should know a bit as hub was a copper but i realise i know very little. Never been on a jury either.

Not been on a jury, but have been called and questioned, never been in trouble but have been in courtrooms, you're very lucky, it's no fun imo. They dress in chambers (meaning their robe is there) and I don't know a lot either but as we know from like Delphi, attys can be brought back into chambers and it would seem they can go on or off record or both... I always thought and believed a judge could never meet privately with one side or another in any case and I think that's how it should be but then found they can in an ex parte situation which is another subject.

Here's another thing, there are the allegations of a deputy SA'g inmates in the jail I take it but then there is talk of sex going on in the judge's chambers too. Imo the two things would never be near each other even if in the same or connecting buildings. So if all being said is true, then a lot is going on there... Or is it claimed a deputy took an inmate into the judge's chambers, I don't think so...

I've watched a bit more of it but still not all. The host claims to have seen a video that I take to be sexual that he says could NEVER EVER be shown on YT. I believe he said who had it, sounds like another channel who I am going to try to find if I can later on some time. I have no reason to think it's a lie at all and so I'd sure like to know how anyone got such a thing.

I guess another possibility is they were making tapes/videos... Whether with their phones, that camera, etc.... For personal use, sale, extortion, hard to say...

Do you have an opinion? So far I don't see enough yet to form one however I'm inclined to think until something changes my mind that both parties were "dirty" but I honestly don't know that.

 

[Tresir]

Not been on a jury, but have been called and questioned, never been in trouble but have been in courtrooms, you're very lucky, it's no fun imo. They dress in chambers (meaning their robe is there) and I don't know a lot either but as we know from like Delphi, attys can be brought back into chambers and it would seem they can go on or off record or both... I always thought and believed a judge could never meet privately with one side or another in any case and I think that's how it should be but then found they can in an ex parte situation which is another subject.

Here's another thing, there are the allegations of a deputy SA'g inmates in the jail I take it but then there is talk of sex going on in the judge's chambers too. Imo the two things would never be near each other even if in the same or connecting buildings. So if all being said is true, then a lot is going on there... Or is it claimed a deputy took an inmate into the judge's chambers, I don't think so...

I've watched a bit more of it but still not all. The host claims to have seen a video that I take to be sexual that he says could NEVER EVER be shown on YT. I believe he said who had it, sounds like another channel who I am going to try to find if I can later on some time. I have no reason to think it's a lie at all and so I'd sure like to know how anyone got such a thing.

I guess another possibility is they were making tapes/videos... Whether with their phones, that camera, etc.... For personal use, sale, extortion, hard to say...

Do you have an opinion? So far I don't see enough yet to form one however I'm inclined to think until something changes my mind that both parties were "dirty" but I honestly don't know that.

I am pretty sure it took place in the judge's chambers but don't quote me on that.

 

[Tresir]

Here's another article, with some more disturbing goings on in Letcher County. I do not know what more to say.

https://www.cnn.com/2024/09/20/us/kentucky-judge-mullins-shot-friday/index.html

Sheriff faced lawsuit before shooting​

Stines was deposed earlier this week in an ongoing federal lawsuit involving a former deputy who coerced a woman to have sex with him in Mullins’ chambers in 2021.

Sabrina Adkins and Jennifer Hill filed suit against Stines and deputy Ben Fields in 2022, claiming the deputy said he would keep Adkins out of jail and on home release, while avoiding paying the fees associated with an ankle monitor, in exchange for sex.

According to the complaint, when Adkins told Fields, her home incarceration officer, she was having difficulty finding a place to live and could not afford an ankle monitor, the deputy “made flirtatious comments about Sabrina’s looks and body and told her that he was confident that they could ‘work something out.’”

Adkins alleged the deputy met her “after dark” in the chambers of Judge Mullins, “telling Sabrina that he wanted to meet her there because there were no cameras,” the lawsuit says. Fields was accused of meeting with Adkins at the courthouse during evening or early morning hours roughly a half-dozen times, including for sex, in Mullins’ chambers over a seven-month period.

Hill, the second plaintiff, accused Fields of falsely claiming she was not meeting the terms of her home confinement after she refused to do a “favor” for him, which she interpreted as a request for sex. The lawsuit says after Hill was later arrested, Fields harassed her at home and explicitly demanded oral sex, and later sexual intercourse in his sheriff’s office vehicle, in exchange for staying out of jail.

Fields was charged with multiple felonies and a misdemeanor – including rape and tampering with a monitoring device – and was given a suspended jail sentence as part of a plea deal earlier this year, according to the Mountain Eagle newspaper.

“My nightmares got so bad I had to go on medicine and probably will be for the rest of my life,” Adkins said at the January sentencing, the Mountain Eagle reported, adding she continued to receive counseling for trauma.

Hill has since died and criminal charges against Fields related to her were dropped, but her estate is continuing to pursue the lawsuit against Field and Stines, court records show.

The lawsuit alleges the sexual allegations against Fields “were not appropriately investigated by Sheriff Stines.”

Stines fired Fields in 2022, after the lawsuit was filed, for “conduct unbecoming,” according to a disciplinary letter obtained by the Louisville Courier-Journal newspaper.

In a response filed to the lawsuit, defense attorneys wrote “Mickey Stines, at all times acted in good faith and exercised reasonable care and skill in effectuating his duties as required by law.” Defendants also argued the case should be dismissed because of the statute of limitations and sovereign immunity.

Stines was deposed in the case on Monday, plaintiffs’ and defendants’ attorneys both confirmed to CNN. They did not reveal any details of his testimony.

Jonathan Shaw, the attorney representing Stines in his official capacity in the lawsuit, told CNN in an email he did not have the authority to speak on Stines’ personal behalf in the federal suit or the murder case.

“This is a sad day for our legal community, and I hope that in time we will have a clearer understanding of the circumstances that led to Judge Mullins’ death,” Shaw said. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the judge’s family and the families of all involved.”

Bringing my post forward as a reminder of what went on.

The linked Mountain Eagle report in the article, I am posting separately below and gives more detail.

Ex-deputy sheriff is sentenced; one victim tells of ‘nightmares’ - The Mountain Eagle

A former Letcher County deputy sheriff who pleaded guilty to raping a female prisoner who was on home incarceration will spend six months in the Letcher County Jail, where he formerly worked as a deputy jailer. Ben Fields, who was a court security officer for the sheriff ’s office and worked a...

www.themountaineagle.com

Monday, March 17, 2025​

Ex-deputy sheriff is sentenced; one victim tells of ‘nightmares’​

By Mountain Eagle Staff
on January 10, 2024

By SAM ADAMS
A former Letcher County deputy sheriff who pleaded guilty to raping a female prisoner who was on home incarceration will spend six months in the Letcher County Jail, where he formerly worked as a deputy jailer.
Ben Fields, who was a court security officer for the sheriff ’s office and worked a side job for monitoring company Eastern Kentucky Correctional Services, was sentenced last week to seven years total, with six and a half of that to be spent on probation.
Fields was indicted on seven felony counts and one misdemeanor. The criminal charges followed a lawsuit filed by two women in March 2022, both former inmates in the Letcher County Jail, where Fields worked as a deputy jailer before being hired by the sheriff’s office.
When the crimes occurred, Fields had left his job at the jail to work as a court security officer in Letcher District Court and worked for Eastern Kentucky Correctional Services, Inc., which provides electronic monitoring devices to prisoners who have been placed on house arrest as a condition of their bail. Prisoners are required to pay for the monitoring. The women sued Fields, Eastern Kentucky Correctional Services Inc., and Letcher County Sheriff Mickey Stines in his official capacity, claiming Fields used his position to pressure them into having sex with him, and that EKCS and Stines did not sufficiently train and supervise him. The case was filed in U.S. District Court in Pikeville and had been on hold while the criminal case progressed.
The women claimed Fields told them he would not make them pay for the monitoring if they would do him “a favor.” Fields disabled the devices, told the monitoring company that bail conditions had been changed so the devices were not required, and then used threats of arrest to force the women to have sex with him. When Letcher Circuit Judge James W. Craft II asked Fields for GPS coordinates for one of the subjects for a court appearance, Fields said he couldn’t locate her and filed an escape charge against her, court records show.
The Mountain Eagle does not normally identify victims of sexual crimes however one remaining victim spoke to a reporter at the paper on the record and testified to many of the same things in sworn testimony during the sentencing. The other alleged victim died of a drug overdose after the suit was filed.
Sabrina Adkins, 47, of Pikeville, who was in jail on drug charges at the time the crimes occurred, said she has completed rehab and hopes to become a domestic violence counselor. She said she had a career before addiction and wants a normal life again.
“I was clean for 18 years,” she said. “I had a career; I had a family.”
She said that all changed when her brother, who she raised after their parents died, also died.
“I started drinking, I just fell into it,” she said. “There’s no excuse. It was something I needed in my body every day.”
She spent the following 10 years in addiction and says she has now been off illegal drugs for 13 months. She said she was using methamphetamines when she was arrested.
While she is no longer taking illegal drugs, she said the crimes Fields committed against her have left her unable to function without medicine prescribed for posttraumatic stress disorder. She said she has been in the psychiatric hospital several times since the incidents and continues to take trauma counseling.
“My nightmares got so bad I had to go on medicine and probably will be for the rest of my life,” she said to Fields during the video sentencing. “Did you know I tried to kill myself twice?”
Adkins also accuses others of involvement in her situation and that of the other woman who filed suit against Fields. She alleged harassment by other sheriff’s deputies and arrests based on false information given by Fields. Stines declined to comment, citing the continuing civil case, however the criminal court record shows at one point a warrant was issued for Adkins because Judge James W. Craft II asked Fields to bring her to court and Fields told the judge he couldn’t find her because she had had taken off her bracelet and escaped.
She also alleged that a male relative of Fields, who he introduced to her, also coerced her to have sex with him because he “had pull with the court.” She said that she talked to Fields on Facebook Messenger, but the other man never sent her any messages. He wasn’t charged because she had no proof.
Adkins said she believes that man is still doing to same thing to other women because she went to court for a hearing on a charge of driving under the influence and saw him sitting in the gallery whispering to another female defendant with his arm around her.
“He was right there in the courtroom, asking her to go out to dinner with him,” she said. “I felt physically sick.”
Fields was accused of having sex with Adkins in his car, in the district judge’s office, and in an elevator at the Letcher County Courthouse.
The grand jury on September 29, 2022, charged him with two counts of third-degree rape, two counts of third-degree sodomy, and three counts of tampering with a prisoner monitoring device. All those charges are felonies. He was also charged with one count of second-degree perjury, a misdemeanor, related to him allegedly filing a false complaint.
The case was prosecuted by Barbara Whaley of the Kentucky Attorney General’s Office and was heard by Pike Circuit Judge Eddy Coleman. Court documents show hearings were held in at least three counties other than Letcher.
Fields pleaded guilty to third-degree rape, third-degree sodomy, two counts of tampering with a prisoner monitoring device and second degree perjury. The three charges related to the second woman were dismissed because she is now dead, but the civil case is continuing with her estate as plaintiff along with Adkins. The court cases do not specify how she died.
In return for the guilty plea, the judge followed the recommendation in the plea agreement and sentenced Fields to five years each for rape, and two tampering charges, but that time be probated for seven years with supervision for five years. The perjury sentence of 12 months was conditionally discharged for 12 months. Fields will serve six months in jail and is required to register as a sex offender and complete outpatient sex offender treatment. Protective orders will be in place and effective for 10 years.
Judge Coleman, acting a special Letcher County Circuit Judge in the case, said consequences of the case reach far beyond its direct victims.
“I recognize Miss Adkins is a victim,” Coleman said. “I also believe the criminal justice system Is a victim in this case. When people behave this way as Mr. Fields has behaved, it does create a story people can use when they talk about judges, lawyers, officers, and the court system.”

Just want to emphasize that the former deputy pled guilty and got sentenced for 5 years for rape and 2 years for tampering but only had to serve 6 months of the sentence. The second female died of a drug overdose.

 

[GrandmaBear]

I am pretty sure it took place in the judge's chambers but don't quote me on that.

Okay. Won't quote you. Appreciate it!

 

[GrandmaBear]

Bringing my post forward as a reminder of what went on.

The linked Mountain Eagle report in the article, I am posting separately below and gives more detail.

Ex-deputy sheriff is sentenced; one victim tells of ‘nightmares’ - The Mountain Eagle

A former Letcher County deputy sheriff who pleaded guilty to raping a female prisoner who was on home incarceration will spend six months in the Letcher County Jail, where he formerly worked as a deputy jailer. Ben Fields, who was a court security officer for the sheriff ’s office and worked a...

www.themountaineagle.com

Monday, March 17, 2025​

Ex-deputy sheriff is sentenced; one victim tells of ‘nightmares’​

By Mountain Eagle Staff
on January 10, 2024

By SAM ADAMS
A former Letcher County deputy sheriff who pleaded guilty to raping a female prisoner who was on home incarceration will spend six months in the Letcher County Jail, where he formerly worked as a deputy jailer.
Ben Fields, who was a court security officer for the sheriff ’s office and worked a side job for monitoring company Eastern Kentucky Correctional Services, was sentenced last week to seven years total, with six and a half of that to be spent on probation.
Fields was indicted on seven felony counts and one misdemeanor. The criminal charges followed a lawsuit filed by two women in March 2022, both former inmates in the Letcher County Jail, where Fields worked as a deputy jailer before being hired by the sheriff’s office.
When the crimes occurred, Fields had left his job at the jail to work as a court security officer in Letcher District Court and worked for Eastern Kentucky Correctional Services, Inc., which provides electronic monitoring devices to prisoners who have been placed on house arrest as a condition of their bail. Prisoners are required to pay for the monitoring. The women sued Fields, Eastern Kentucky Correctional Services Inc., and Letcher County Sheriff Mickey Stines in his official capacity, claiming Fields used his position to pressure them into having sex with him, and that EKCS and Stines did not sufficiently train and supervise him. The case was filed in U.S. District Court in Pikeville and had been on hold while the criminal case progressed.
The women claimed Fields told them he would not make them pay for the monitoring if they would do him “a favor.” Fields disabled the devices, told the monitoring company that bail conditions had been changed so the devices were not required, and then used threats of arrest to force the women to have sex with him. When Letcher Circuit Judge James W. Craft II asked Fields for GPS coordinates for one of the subjects for a court appearance, Fields said he couldn’t locate her and filed an escape charge against her, court records show.
The Mountain Eagle does not normally identify victims of sexual crimes however one remaining victim spoke to a reporter at the paper on the record and testified to many of the same things in sworn testimony during the sentencing. The other alleged victim died of a drug overdose after the suit was filed.
Sabrina Adkins, 47, of Pikeville, who was in jail on drug charges at the time the crimes occurred, said she has completed rehab and hopes to become a domestic violence counselor. She said she had a career before addiction and wants a normal life again.
“I was clean for 18 years,” she said. “I had a career; I had a family.”
She said that all changed when her brother, who she raised after their parents died, also died.
“I started drinking, I just fell into it,” she said. “There’s no excuse. It was something I needed in my body every day.”
She spent the following 10 years in addiction and says she has now been off illegal drugs for 13 months. She said she was using methamphetamines when she was arrested.
While she is no longer taking illegal drugs, she said the crimes Fields committed against her have left her unable to function without medicine prescribed for posttraumatic stress disorder. She said she has been in the psychiatric hospital several times since the incidents and continues to take trauma counseling.
“My nightmares got so bad I had to go on medicine and probably will be for the rest of my life,” she said to Fields during the video sentencing. “Did you know I tried to kill myself twice?”
Adkins also accuses others of involvement in her situation and that of the other woman who filed suit against Fields. She alleged harassment by other sheriff’s deputies and arrests based on false information given by Fields. Stines declined to comment, citing the continuing civil case, however the criminal court record shows at one point a warrant was issued for Adkins because Judge James W. Craft II asked Fields to bring her to court and Fields told the judge he couldn’t find her because she had had taken off her bracelet and escaped.
She also alleged that a male relative of Fields, who he introduced to her, also coerced her to have sex with him because he “had pull with the court.” She said that she talked to Fields on Facebook Messenger, but the other man never sent her any messages. He wasn’t charged because she had no proof.
Adkins said she believes that man is still doing to same thing to other women because she went to court for a hearing on a charge of driving under the influence and saw him sitting in the gallery whispering to another female defendant with his arm around her.
“He was right there in the courtroom, asking her to go out to dinner with him,” she said. “I felt physically sick.”
Fields was accused of having sex with Adkins in his car, in the district judge’s office, and in an elevator at the Letcher County Courthouse.
The grand jury on September 29, 2022, charged him with two counts of third-degree rape, two counts of third-degree sodomy, and three counts of tampering with a prisoner monitoring device. All those charges are felonies. He was also charged with one count of second-degree perjury, a misdemeanor, related to him allegedly filing a false complaint.
The case was prosecuted by Barbara Whaley of the Kentucky Attorney General’s Office and was heard by Pike Circuit Judge Eddy Coleman. Court documents show hearings were held in at least three counties other than Letcher.
Fields pleaded guilty to third-degree rape, third-degree sodomy, two counts of tampering with a prisoner monitoring device and second degree perjury. The three charges related to the second woman were dismissed because she is now dead, but the civil case is continuing with her estate as plaintiff along with Adkins. The court cases do not specify how she died.
In return for the guilty plea, the judge followed the recommendation in the plea agreement and sentenced Fields to five years each for rape, and two tampering charges, but that time be probated for seven years with supervision for five years. The perjury sentence of 12 months was conditionally discharged for 12 months. Fields will serve six months in jail and is required to register as a sex offender and complete outpatient sex offender treatment. Protective orders will be in place and effective for 10 years.
Judge Coleman, acting a special Letcher County Circuit Judge in the case, said consequences of the case reach far beyond its direct victims.
“I recognize Miss Adkins is a victim,” Coleman said. “I also believe the criminal justice system Is a victim in this case. When people behave this way as Mr. Fields has behaved, it does create a story people can use when they talk about judges, lawyers, officers, and the court system.”

Just want to emphasize that the former deputy pled guilty and got sentenced for 5 years for rape and 2 years for tampering but only had to serve 6 months of the sentence. The second female died of a drug overdose.

Wow. Well that clears a lot up. Not sure if I missed them or what. After reading those I went into another article at the bottom about the former depositions. That was long and had a lot as well. Again thank you. The show I was watching gave kind of a brief recap but most of it is on more recent events so far, like the D atty. doing interviews, and not all of this. And I still haven't finished that.

First of all the deputy's sentence is DISGUSTING. To me that shows good ol' boys and more going on there imo. That judge could say all he wanted about her being a victim, etc. but it doesn't change the sentence or deal made which would also involve the P in my opinion. Some would probably say she agreed to it but that does not make his abuse of power and authority OKAY. It's a JOKE of a sentence.

So the one died of an OD and the remaining says there are others she thinks AND that other deputies harassed, treated wrongly, etc. To me it seems Stines didn't run a very good ship, at all and I'd wonder about his knowledge as well. Inappropriate FB messages with other deputies or a group, etc. got shut down some in questioning but that says a lot imo. So he claims encephalitis has symptoms when under stress come and go... Hmph.

Some of what I'm saying was in the article below the other I clicked into after reading these, about depositions.

She claims judge's chambers but the deputy says it was in a bathroom near the 'secretary's desk. Big difference. HE says the judge's chambers were "usually" locked... Fields I mean.

Nothing in all three really makes it clear what would be any cause for Stines shooting the judge... Not sure the judge is clear either on not knowing this was going on, impossible to say... The camera was in chambers not in the bathroom... Fields denies a lot (deputy I mean) and only seems to come clean WHEN he knows there is proof and he has to imo. Not sure if anyone saw him or them. Chambers "usually" locked. No, he didn't know his uncle called and harassed her and said he had "pull" or power, who is HE?

Tons more but that's enough. There is a lot in all three yet what the deal was with the two of them and why the judge was shot is unclear. Nothing seems to be said in that DEPO that would endanger Stines wife or daughter as claimed he was so worried about...

NOTHING imo should ever go on in a courthouse or by LE, etc. where one isn't checked by another OR has total control and access to for instance the courthouse... They all stink imo so far... More than even is known.

Interesting that Stines had the key and was courthouse officer, then elected sheriff, prior to Fields getting the job... Was Stines also doing women in the courthouse, who knows and was the judge fine with both of them doing so...? I haven't seen a thing saying Stines was doing any such thing but something is missing here isn't it?

I still come back to the camera, there was a reason it was in chambers, what was the reason...

I guess where I'm at is I don't see much reason imo that Stines probably wouldn't be about to lose his job OR at least not be re-elected. Both probably had things on the other but one had better and the position and perhaps help in higher places perhaps that it would all land on Stines and the Judge had turned or was going to turn on him...? Maybe?

But then there is the talk of the sheriff's daughter in judge's phone or some such yet nothing of that sort is in these things at least.

Imo the deputy should have been sentenced to some very hard time. Stines should of course not have kept his job either but he had up to the shooting right, anyhow...? He's not overseeing his staff, he admitted to not doing the yearly sexual training with them, things were said about other deputies, or hinted at, whether harassment, then we have wrongful arrest by Fields and I think they're probably all dirty. Stines may just be guilty of not doing his job as sheriff but he's still the boss, etc... This all puts taint on all of them... Or at least suspicions of such... And such focus on the chambers and then that's where the judge is killed, and where there was a camera...

Okay, it cleared up knowing the girls were not current inmates but out on ankle monitors or not wearing one as the case may be, so it wasn't happening in the jail it seems, I had that mixed up... The deputy was a court officer but deputy and also worked for the monitoring place. It sounds like too that they aren't to work certain other jobs like that one while holding their position. Fields when he got the warrant represented himself as a deputy and not as whatever it was for the ankle monitoring place, how handy for him in trying to hide his tracks... One woman is dead, both were scared of further arrest, one was falsely arrested again and he gets a tiny slap on the wrist... Fields.

I need to stop but it did clear a lot up but clearly all answers aren't known yet so just confusing self again.

Thanks again for this!

 

[Tresir]

Wow. Well that clears a lot up. Not sure if I missed them or what. After reading those I went into another article at the bottom about the former depositions. That was long and had a lot as well. Again thank you. The show I was watching gave kind of a brief recap but most of it is on more recent events so far, like the D atty. doing interviews, and not all of this. And I still haven't finished that.

First of all the deputy's sentence is DISGUSTING. To me that shows good ol' boys and more going on there imo. That judge could say all he wanted about her being a victim, etc. but it doesn't change the sentence or deal made which would also involve the P in my opinion. Some would probably say she agreed to it but that does not make his abuse of power and authority OKAY. It's a JOKE of a sentence.

So the one died of an OD and the remaining says there are others she thinks AND that other deputies harassed, treated wrongly, etc. To me it seems Stines didn't run a very good ship, at all and I'd wonder about his knowledge as well. Inappropriate FB messages with other deputies or a group, etc. got shut down some in questioning but that says a lot imo. So he claims encephalitis has symptoms when under stress come and go... Hmph.

Some of what I'm saying was in the article below the other I clicked into after reading these, about depositions.

She claims judge's chambers but the deputy says it was in a bathroom near the 'secretary's desk. Big difference. HE says the judge's chambers were "usually" locked... Fields I mean.

Nothing in all three really makes it clear what would be any cause for Stines shooting the judge... Not sure the judge is clear either on not knowing this was going on, impossible to say... The camera was in chambers not in the bathroom... Fields denies a lot (deputy I mean) and only seems to come clean WHEN he knows there is proof and he has to imo. Not sure if anyone saw him or them. Chambers "usually" locked. No, he didn't know his uncle called and harassed her and said he had "pull" or power, who is HE?

Tons more but that's enough. There is a lot in all three yet what the deal was with the two of them and why the judge was shot is unclear. Nothing seems to be said in that DEPO that would endanger Stines wife or daughter as claimed he was so worried about...

NOTHING imo should ever go on in a courthouse or by LE, etc. where one isn't checked by another OR has total control and access to for instance the courthouse... They all stink imo so far... More than even is known.

Interesting that Stines had the key and was courthouse officer, then elected sheriff, prior to Fields getting the job... Was Stines also doing women in the courthouse, who knows and was the judge fine with both of them doing so...? I haven't seen a thing saying Stines was doing any such thing but something is missing here isn't it?

I still come back to the camera, there was a reason it was in chambers, what was the reason...

I guess where I'm at is I don't see much reason imo that Stines probably wouldn't be about to lose his job OR at least not be re-elected. Both probably had things on the other but one had better and the position and perhaps help in higher places perhaps that it would all land on Stines and the Judge had turned or was going to turn on him...? Maybe?

But then there is the talk of the sheriff's daughter in judge's phone or some such yet nothing of that sort is in these things at least.

Imo the deputy should have been sentenced to some very hard time. Stines should of course not have kept his job either but he had up to the shooting right, anyhow...? He's not overseeing his staff, he admitted to not doing the yearly sexual training with them, things were said about other deputies, or hinted at, whether harassment, then we have wrongful arrest by Fields and I think they're probably all dirty. Stines may just be guilty of not doing his job as sheriff but he's still the boss, etc... This all puts taint on all of them... Or at least suspicions of such... And such focus on the chambers and then that's where the judge is killed, and where there was a camera...

Okay, it cleared up knowing the girls were not current inmates but out on ankle monitors or not wearing one as the case may be, so it wasn't happening in the jail it seems, I had that mixed up... The deputy was a court officer but deputy and also worked for the monitoring place. It sounds like too that they aren't to work certain other jobs like that one while holding their position. Fields when he got the warrant represented himself as a deputy and not as whatever it was for the ankle monitoring place, how handy for him in trying to hide his tracks... One woman is dead, both were scared of further arrest, one was falsely arrested again and he gets a tiny slap on the wrist... Fields.

I need to stop but it did clear a lot up but clearly all answers aren't known yet so just confusing self again.

Thanks again for this!

I think they were wearing the monitors but did not have to pay the associated fees due to the sexual favours. One thing i wondered was is it likely Stines daughter had to wear an ankle monitor for something and was also being extorted?

 

[GrandmaBear]

I think they were wearing the monitors but did not have to pay the associated fees due to the sexual favours. One thing i wondered was is it likely Stines daughter had to wear an ankle monitor for something and was also being extorted?

Well help me out if there is more on the daughter? I read a bunch including what you brought forward, then another one, and watched a thing or two but in none of it was there much about the daughter. Are you just speculating as we do or do you mean she'd been in trouble and so could have been on a monitor or was on one?

As far as the women, yeah the fees and not paying them were part of it but no, he let the one off the monitor didn't he? He told the monitoring place she no longer needed to be on one or her terms had been changed but then she didn't show for a hearing and he had to cover his tracks and so said she'd skipped or cut the monitor off or some such and got a warrant put out for her when in fact he let her not wear one?

I've read and watched a bit on it now but then got into other cases, hearings and so on after that now. I was going to link a few things I thought pretty interesting but never got to it.

Is there more on the daughter? If so, I did not run into that but I sure did see all the stuff about the monitors with the deputy, etc. with the women... the one who died and the one still alive who the deputy did his monitoring sh*t with...

Again I don't know about the daughter but if you do, please let me know.

However, the parts about the judge and there being at least one video if not more of a sex tape he was in seem to be true... Not verifiable right now but most probably true...

I've actually seen almost nothing on the S's daughter although I know from the beginning there was the bit about her being in the judge's phone..

Right now I am thinking they are/were all dirty.... Or went along, or kept the mouth shut... Until something was caught, the deputy thing being a big one, or the suit filed, or it affected one's own or their own job, etc. or threatened such.

Got up to speed with a lot but admit cluelessness yet about the daughter... Other than the recent claims by his atty. that he was in fear of the safety of wife and daughter.

Judges are pretty much immune from acts and decisions while in office, etc. or lawsuits... Sheriffs apparently aren't... I'm wanting to look into that a bit more but doubt I will get around to it, something I heard just the other day.

But back to your post, had the daughter been in trouble where she might have been on a monitor? If so, that's one thing I still have no clue of. I've got on top of this fairly well thanks to your links and watching a thing or two a few days back but that's one thing I don't have a clue of yet.

On other things though, clearly there are some tapes and some things that have been leaked, or provided to some.

And it to me is a dirty bunch at the moment. If one or another wasn't participating, they at least knew, that's where I'm at with it.

 

[Tresir]

Well help me out if there is more on the daughter? I read a bunch including what you brought forward, then another one, and watched a thing or two but in none of it was there much about the daughter. Are you just speculating as we do or do you mean she'd been in trouble and so could have been on a monitor or was on one?

As far as the women, yeah the fees and not paying them were part of it but no, he let the one off the monitor didn't he? He told the monitoring place she no longer needed to be on one or her terms had been changed but then she didn't show for a hearing and he had to cover his tracks and so said she'd skipped or cut the monitor off or some such and got a warrant put out for her when in fact he let her not wear one?

I've read and watched a bit on it now but then got into other cases, hearings and so on after that now. I was going to link a few things I thought pretty interesting but never got to it.

Is there more on the daughter? If so, I did not run into that but I sure did see all the stuff about the monitors with the deputy, etc. with the women... the one who died and the one still alive who the deputy did his monitoring sh*t with...

Again I don't know about the daughter but if you do, please let me know.

However, the parts about the judge and there being at least one video if not more of a sex tape he was in seem to be true... Not verifiable right now but most probably true...

I've actually seen almost nothing on the S's daughter although I know from the beginning there was the bit about her being in the judge's phone..

Right now I am thinking they are/were all dirty.... Or went along, or kept the mouth shut... Until something was caught, the deputy thing being a big one, or the suit filed, or it affected one's own or their own job, etc. or threatened such.

Got up to speed with a lot but admit cluelessness yet about the daughter... Other than the recent claims by his atty. that he was in fear of the safety of wife and daughter.

Judges are pretty much immune from acts and decisions while in office, etc. or lawsuits... Sheriffs apparently aren't... I'm wanting to look into that a bit more but doubt I will get around to it, something I heard just the other day.

But back to your post, had the daughter been in trouble where she might have been on a monitor? If so, that's one thing I still have no clue of. I've got on top of this fairly well thanks to your links and watching a thing or two a few days back but that's one thing I don't have a clue of yet.

On other things though, clearly there are some tapes and some things that have been leaked, or provided to some.

And it to me is a dirty bunch at the moment. If one or another wasn't participating, they at least knew, that's where I'm at with it.

I am just speculating as to why his daughter would answer thecall from the judge but not her father and why he would be shut out of his house the night before, not even having access to his uniform. There was some family argument, for sure, but we don't know what exactly.

I don't know enough about the deputy's actions to comment fully but do know he pled guilty for a reduced sentence.

 

[Tresir]

Just posting this. Don't know if it has already been posted but highlighting the bit that says Adkins saw Judge Mullins having sex with a girl.

Judge killed in chambers by sheriff was 'running a brothel' out of courtroom: Lawyer

A Kentucky judge who was gunned down in his chambers by a sheriff was allegedly "running a brothel" out of his courtroom, according to a witness from another case, with her claim being used in court.

lawandcrime.com

"Adkins, a defendant who was placed on house arrest, claimed in the audio recording that the footage she saw showed slain U.S. District Judge Kevin Mullins having sex with women in exchange for special treatment. She filed a federal lawsuit in January 2022 and Stines — a close friend of Mullins’ for roughly three decades — had just been deposed in the ongoing case on Sep. 16, three days before the shooting, according to the Louisville Courier Journal.
“I seen Judge Mullins having sex with a girl … in the judge’s chambers,” Adkins told police during the Fields investigation, noting how she had sex with Fields once in the office.
Adkins outlined what she allegedly went through in the complaint for her civil suit, saying Mullins’ chambers served as a secret haven for Fields and others due to the fact that there weren’t any surveillance cameras present.
“There were no cameras,” the complaint says. It describes how Fields allegedly took off Adkins’ ankle monitor and told her she “would not have to pay the associated fees any longer, but could remain out on home incarceration” if she performed sexual favors for him.
According to the complaint, Fields met Adkins at least six times in Mullins’ chambers to receive those favors."

 

[GrandmaBear]

I am just speculating as to why his daughter would answer thecall from the judge but not her father and why he would be shut out of his house the night before, not even having access to his uniform. There was some family argument, for sure, but we don't know what exactly.

I don't know enough about the deputy's actions to comment fully but do know he pled guilty for a reduced sentence.

watching what I watched the other day, in chat, someone commented that maybe it was just the daughter did not want to talk to her dad, avoiding a parent, a problem, etc. you know, where any of us will ignore one call, not want to deal with right then, but pick up another depending on who it is. it was a good point but then there is as you say t he other stuff... i am up on most but still likely haven't seen what others likely have but the part about him locked out I either forgot or never took in. It does ring a slight bell but then I was taking in more recent things, then heard about the older depositions, etc. When one adds that in, yes something else was going on most likely.

The deputy admitted to enough imo, what he had to anyhow, that he figured could be proven, where I don't have an issue judging him. He was what I'd call a bit more noncommittal when it came to some questions.

How old is the daughter, if you know?

 

[Ontario Mom]

How old is the daughter, if you know?

As of the day her dad shot Mullins, she was 17. I've heard/read all sorts of stuff about the daughter but it's all rumor, and nothing can be verified that I'm aware of.
What isn't rumor is that her dad called her from both his phone, and Mullins' phone.
What also isn't rumor is that she was interviewed and relayed to her interviewers what went on during those phone calls (plural) with the judge.

How that all fits into Stines' motive is still pretty foggy. Something lit his fuse and compelled him to murder that man in cold blood. It seems somewhat obvious that "something" is directly related to his underage daughter but what that something is, is still a mystery (to the public, anyway).