Michael Burton, a candidate for Metcalfe sheriff, was recently charged with an election crime but it was later dropped by a grand jury.
(IMAGE SUBMITTED BY MICHAEL BUTON)
EDMONTON — Michael Burton, a Metcalfe County sheriff candidate, will not be prosecuted for an election crime brought against him.
A Metcalfe grand jury convened April 28 and returned a notice of a no true bill, which means they did not find sufficient evidence to charge Burton for the alleged crime. He was charged with “wrongful registration,” which is a Class D felony in Kentucky.
“I never even heard what I was being accused of until I went into grand jury,” Burton said.
Burton filed to run for Metcalfe Sheriff on Dec. 1, 2021. He said various people called him soon after he filed and informed him an investigator with the Kentucky Attorney General’s office was seeking information from them about Burton’s address.
The investigator, Herman Hall, later told Burton the investigation was sparked after a formal complaint was filed with the attorney general’s office.
Burton asked Hall for the complaint, he said. But he was told the record could be obtained only “after the case is closed or under an indictment on a Discovery motion.”
The case was presented before a Metcalfe grand jury on April 27, according to text messages from a clerk within the commonwealth attorney’s office.
Burton said he asked the prosecutor’s office for the complaint on April 28 – after the case was closed and dismissed by the jury – and was told in another text message, “no cause our files are not subject to open records.”
While the official allegations in the complaint are still unknown, Burton said he gathered his home address and standing as an eligible Metcalfe County candidate was being questioned. He received similar questioning from an Edmonton newspaper.
A candidate must live within a certain geographic location to run for a specific office. Metcalfe sheriff candidates must live within Metcalfe County lines.
Burton said he moved to Metcalfe County before he filed for sheriff. His family continues to live at a home along Fox Trail in Barren County, however.
“We’re not going to move our kids in the middle of a school year to a new school,” Burton said. “I made that commitment to my kids when me and my wife talked about it.”
A candidate may live in one location though their family lives at another, according to state law.
Burton said he moved into a home located at 8255 Sulphur Well-Knob Lick Road. That was the address he reported when he filed for the sheriff’s race. But another address surfaced and ignited further confusion.
The candidate said he moved into another home located at 8250 Glasgow Road, which is his current address. He said he moved there after the homeowner purchased property in Glasgow and vacated the home toward last October’s end. He had already changed his address.
“When I filed my candidacy paperwork, I was under the impression it had to match your driver’s license,” Burton said. “And I had just paid $20 to have my license changed, and I wasn’t going to do it again.”
Burton said he caught wind of the investigation and the alleged election crime. He filed a request to speak before a Metcalfe grand jury and was able to describe the situation to them, he said.
“So, I walked in there and started from day one,” Burton said.
The grand jury ultimately dropped the charge against the sheriff candidate.
Burton faces four other candidates during the May primary election, including Tony E. Shockley, Eric Bryant, Joshua C. Neal and Lonnie D. Hodges – the incumbent.
