By MELINDA J. OVERSTREET
for Glasgow News 1
A trial date is expected to be set soon in the misdemeanor criminal case against a former Glasgow police chief accused of inappropriately touching a female employee of a business he was using.
Guy J. Turcotte is charged with harassment with physical contact but no injury. Though it is a Barren County case, a special prosecutor and special judge were assigned in the case who are both based in Monroe County, so the pretrial proceedings have been taking place there with no objection from the defense.
The pretrial conference that had been scheduled for August was postponed at the request of the judge, who had a conflict, to this week. In Monroe District Court on Tuesday, when Judge Kristi Castillo asked Turcotte’s attorney whether he was ready for the case to be called, Matt Baker told her that he just wanted to request that a trial date be set, and he was advised that the trial itself would have to take place in Barren County unless she had a motion requesting otherwise.
“Until I have that motion, I have to try it here,” Castillo said.
The prosecutor, Wes Stephens, was not in the room at that moment, so the judge suggested that Baker confer with him and they address her together for the record.
A few minutes later, Baker returned to the courtroom and said Stephens had said he was OK with their submitting an agreed order for the judge to sign to change the venue.
The judge said the next date set aside for trials there is Nov. 7, but they probably wouldn’t be ready that soon, “or would you?” she asked Baker. He indicated that he would not be. The next potential date was Dec. 7, the judge said.
Castillo said they have one date per month for trials, and they hadn’t met to determine the dates for 2024 yet, but they had needed to do so.
This portion of the discussion was technically not on the record, but it took place across several feet and was easily heard by those present.
After Stephens returned, Castillo called the court back to order and resumed the proceedings on the record, with the two attorneys and Turcotte stepping up to the podium, and the prosecutor confirmed that he had no objection to the change of venue.
The judge said they needed to state for the record why they would be moving the trial.
Baker, referring to Glasgow News 1, said “Of course, the press is here today, and this has been headline news in Barren County.” He noted that this was not “Chief Turcotte’s” first time to be in the news, so he requested a change of venue “based upon the media attention and publicity.”
Castillo said that with her and the prosecutor’s both being based there, “it makes sense to move it to Monroe County,” and she confirmed with the attorneys that an agreed order would be submitted.
Baker added later that Dec. 7 could not work for him. Castillo suggested that she and Stephens and the public defender who typically works in Monroe Count meet after the docket items were addressed Tuesday to set 2024 trial dates. Stephens was then going to contact Baker so they could decide on a mutually agreeable date, and the defendant would not need to return for another pretrial conference prior to the trial.
Stephens said they would submit the agreed order in the meantime regarding the change of venue and it would include whichever date they plan.
Turcotte had resigned as chief of police at the end of 2014 when the mayor who had hired him was leaving her term in office, but he stayed with the department and had other roles and ranks since then. He was still employed as a detective when alleged actions occurred in January. He was initially placed on administrative leave with pay when the department received the complaint, but his status was changed to administrative leave without pay May 5. In August, subsequent to a private hearing before the Glasgow mayor in July, his employment was terminated. He has appealed that decision in Barren Circuit Court, and that civil lawsuit is still pending. He has unsuccessfully sued the city twice before on similar matters.
Meanwhile, Turcotte also has an interpersonal protective order issued against him to keep him away from the person who lodged the initial complaint.
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