Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office - Fleming, Mason & Bracken

08/18/2026

MASON COUNTY SENTENCING UPDATE:

A Maysville man was sentenced last week to a 20 year term in prison. Jamier Allen pled guilty to attempted murder in a shooting in Maysville in 2024. The shooting was followed up by a home invasion.

Maysville PD Officer Tyler French was the first unit to respond to the incident. He drew his service weapon but was unable to find a clear line of fire due to the presence of other victims.

Allen fled the scene but was tracked by the PD and ultimately apprehended in West Virginia. Detective Jeff Hord was the lead investigator in the case, collecting a spent bullet and casings from the scene along with other evidence.

The case was prosecuted by 1st Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Mark Mantooth with support from Commonwealth’s Attorney Johnathan Gay. Sheri Mattingly provided extensive support to the victims while Office Manager Britni Lucas organized trial exhibits for the case in the eventuality it needed to be tried.

Gay complimented the professionalism of the MPD for their rapid response and their thorough investigation. “We are fortunate no one was seriously injured or killed”, said Gay. “If the Maysville PD had not responded promptly, we could have been looking at an entirely different situation.”

08/10/2026

Fleming County Sentencing Update

In June, Troy Gilbert received an 8 year sentence for trafficking in methamphetamine and co***ne. The sentence stemmed from a traffic stop by the FSO in October 2024 and an investigation by Fleming County Deputies spearheaded by K-9 Rex.

After observing a vehicle fail to maintain its lane on Morehead Road, deputies initiated a traffic stop. Gilbert delayed coming to a complete stop. During the stop, Deputy James Welch deployed K-9 Rex to conduct a free-air sniff of the vehicle. Rex gave a positive alert to the odor of illegal narcotics, prompting a probable cause search of the vehicle.

Immediately following Rex’s alert, the driver’s demeanor became noticeably nervous, and he repeatedly made unsolicited statements that anything found along the roadside did not belong to him. While no narcotics were located inside the vehicle, Rex’s alert combined with the driver’s statements led Deputy Welch to carefully inspect the shoulder of the roadway where the vehicle had traveled before stopping.

Ultimately, Deputy Welch located a knotted sock containing 69 g of suspected drugs — a portion of which subsequently tested positive for a combination of co***ne and crystal methamphetamine. K-9 Rex’s positive alert proved instrumental in directing the investigation beyond the vehicle itself.

Deputy Logan Johnson Mullins assisted with this investigation.

Fleming County Sheriff
Sheriff Tim Smith - Fleming County

08/01/2026

Fugitive Friday: William R. Coffman

In an increased effort to focus on cold cases and impaired driving, my office recently presented a pair of cases to the Bracken County Grand Jury against Coffman. Indictments were issued in one case for DUI, Possession of Methamphetamine, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, and in a related case for Bail Jumping, 1st Degree. The cases stem from a 2020 charge by the KY State Police for driving while impaired, and the defendant’s subsequent failure to appear in court.

Please share and help us get Mr. Coffman his day in court. Parties with information can contact Bracken County Sheriff's Office or the KSP:

KSP POST 6
4265 US Highway 25
Dry Ridge, KY 41035
Via phone: (859) 428–1212

**The charges listed in the above indictments are allegations only. Every person charged is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.**

07/30/2026

UPDATE: Witness found. Thanks for the leads and shares.

This office is attempting to make contact with **** please send us a message here or contact us by telephone at (606) 564-4304. She is only a potential witness.

07/15/2026

🚔 **NOW HIRING: Full-Time Police Officer** 🚔

The **City of Flemingsburg Police Department** is accepting applications for a **Full-Time Police Officer**.

If you're looking for a rewarding career serving your community, we encourage you to apply!

✅ Competitive Benefits Include:
• 100% employer-paid single health insurance
• Kentucky CERS Hazardous Retirement
• Secondary retirement option
• Paid holidays, vacation, and sick leave
• Employer-paid life insurance
• Optional dental, vision, disability, cancer, accident insurance, and Air-Med coverage

Applicants must meet the qualifications listed in the attached hiring announcement, including age, education, driver's license, and certification requirements.

📱 **Apply online** by scanning the QR code on the flyer or visiting:
**[https://flemingsburgky.org](https://flemingsburgky.org)** → **Employment Opportunities**

📞 Questions? Contact City Hall at **(606) 845-5951**.

🗓️ **Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.**

Join a department that is committed to protecting and serving the citizens of Flemingsburg. We look forward to hearing from you!

07/14/2026

Fleming County Woman Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Trafficking Drugs After Joint Investigations by Fleming & Mason Sheriffs

A former Kentucky pretrial officer was sentenced last week in Fleming Circuit Court to 15 years in prison for drug trafficking. Sara Collins pled guilty to cases in Mason and Fleming County following joint investigations by the Fleming County and Mason County Sheriffs’ offices. The cases involved controlled buys of methamphetamine through undercover informants in both counties. Her combined sentence was 15 years imprisonment.

Commonwealth’s Attorney Johnathan Gay prosecuted the cases and praised the professionalism and collaboration between Fleming County Sheriff Tim Smith and Mason County Sheriff Ryan Swolsky. “Methamphetamine is the number one abused illegal drug in our community,” Gay said. “It destroys families, frequently creates psychosis and other mental health problems, and is often mixed with other dangerous substances. It’s a close second to fentanyl in terms of the danger it poses in our communities.”

Swolsky complimented the work of Deputy Jonathan Wagner, who led the investigation in Mason, while Smith praised Chief Deputy Rob Conn’s work for the cases in Fleming. Both agreed that it’s critical for departments to work across county lines. “Unfortunately, drug trafficking doesn’t even stop at the border, much less the county line, so we have to pursue it wherever it goes," said Smith. Swolsky said: “Oftentimes it’s like a puzzle where someone in one police department has one piece, while in another county their police department has the other piece. It is important that we put those pieces together in order to solve the puzzle.”

Gay emphasized that while Collins was no longer working with pre-trial, the fact that she had been an officer previously is an indication how pervasive the addiction crisis is: “Pretrial officers interview and assess newly arrested individuals to determine release eligibility. The fact Ms. Collins was once in a role of supervising people arrested on drug charges and now has gone down this road herself emphasizes the impact drugs have in every family and sadly every profession.“

06/30/2026

🚨 A Kentucky Coroner is warning about a dangerous new drug cocktail. Lee County is approx 1.5 hours from Fleming county. 🚨

“The coroner says the drug, Medetomidine, is a powerful veterinary sedative being found increasingly often as a cause in overdoses. Combined with Fentanyl, Medetomidine can produce ‘profound’ sedation, slowed breathing, dangerously low heart rates, and unconsciousness.“ Narcan can reverse the effects of fentanyl but not this drug.

A powerful sedative has been found mixed into illicit drugs, often alongside fentanyl according to the Lee County Coroner.

06/02/2026

FLEMING COUNTY SENTENCING UPDATE:

In February 2025, the Fleming County Sheriff’s office received a call from a distraught tipster about Timothy McCord, a registered s*x offender. The sheriff’s office responded and coordinated with the Kentucky State Police- Post 8- and Trooper Marvin Morris took over the investigation.

Following a lengthy investigation, and extensive digital forensics, with continual support and input from our office, Mr. McCord was prosecuted and finally sentenced in May 2026 to a 10 year term for a single count of in**st. McCord was captured in incriminating video with an adult victim. The victim was spared having to testify as a result of the plea and signed off on our resolution.

Mr. McCord will have to complete the s*x offender treatment program prior to being paroled and is expected to serve an additional four years. He will be a lifetime registered s*x offender.

05/15/2026

FLEMING COUNTY SENTENCING UPDATE

On May 15, Aiden Sayer was sentenced to 15 years in prison for s*xual conduct with a minor relating to a 12-year-old victim.

The investigation was conducted by Sheriff Tim Smith, with assistance from the Kentucky State Police and law enforcement agencies in Mississippi. The case began after Sheriff Smith received a report alleging s*xual abuse involving the defendant and a juvenile victim.

As part of the investigation, Sheriff Smith obtained and executed multiple search warrants and conducted a forensic review of Snapchat accounts and other social media evidence to determine whether additional victims may have existed.

Sayer will be required to complete the S*x Offender Treatment Program while incarcerated and will be required to register as a lifetime s*x offender upon release.

The family of the victim was consulted prior to the resolution of this case.

05/14/2026

FLEMING COUNTY SENTENCING UPDATE

A Maysville woman who says she was just “having fun” after fleeing law enforcement was captured by the Fleming county Sheriff’s office last year. She found out her sentence in March and it was 15 years.

Nicole Bainter received 5 years each on 3 counts of Wanton Endangerment after attempting to elude multiple law enforcement agencies. She was ultimately stopped by Deputy Dustin Cooper of the Fleming County Sheriff’s office.

Commonwealth Attorney Johnathan Gay said: “running from the police is not only unsafe, it’s also stupid. It turns a bad day into a bad decade! Ultimately, our officers will catch you and we will prosecute you, and you will receive much more time than if you had just accepted the consequences. We are grateful to Fleming Deputy Cooper for ultimately stopping this defendant and appreciative of all the agencies that engaged in this pursuit leading up to this.”

Fleming County Sheriff Tim Smith said “Deputy Dustin Cooper did an outstanding job bringing this pursuit to a safe end under a very dangerous situation. I’m thankful this incident ended without any innocent civilians being hurt. When someone chooses to flee from law enforcement, they are putting a lot of people at risk just to avoid accountability. I’m proud of Deputy Cooper and all the agencies involved for the work they did that day.”