Bullitt County jailer secretly recorded hurling racial slurs

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) – The elected official in charge of the Bullitt County jail repeatedly used racial slurs in a secretly recorded conversation with the former county sheriff earlier this year.

Jailer Paul Watkins is heard repeatedly using the “N-word” and other demeaning language in the recording filed as evidence in a lawsuit in state court. Watkins, who was voted into office in 2018, is seeking reelection for a second term.

The conversation took place March 3 among Watkins, former Bullitt County Sheriff Dave Greenwell and a mutual acquaintance of the men, Ronnie Miller. Greenwell recorded the meeting.

“I’m saying this, like, to you all. I don’t say this in public,” Watkins said. “See, my granddaughter’s married to a f****** n***** and he is a n*****. There’s a thing — there’s a difference between a black guy and a n*****, and this bastard…”

Among other slurs, Watkins is heard using the “N-word” six times in the nearly 64-minute recording. It is now part of a whistleblower lawsuit filed against Watkins last year by two former employees of the Bullitt County Detention Center.

Greenwell told WDRB News that Watkins called the meeting to gain Greenwell’s support for his campaign and to apologize for past grievances between the two men.

“I’d like to see a lot of people that were hurt by him over the years — they were very good people. It was Black and white people,” Greenwell said in an interview last week. “They certainly didn’t deserve what they got. There’s people there that were about ready to retire. I mean really close, two or three years until retiring and had been there and done a fine job.”

Watkins’ attorney, Carol Petitt, said the comments were made while Watkins was “enduring a period of significant personal stress.”

“These inappropriate comments in no way reflect how Jailer Watkins considers the individuals mentioned and he sincerely regrets the descriptions and comments used,” Petitt said in an email.

Watkins declined an interview request. 

The wide-ranging conversation between the men touched on Bullitt County politics, Greenwell’s employment at the jail, ongoing lawsuits Watkins faces and Watkins’ infidelity.

Watkins admits in the conversation to sleeping with a current jail employee while his wife, who died in 2021, was battling COVID-19.

“I was f****** this girl whenever [Watkins’ wife] was on her death bed,” Watkins said. “Now, she’s a very good friend of mine, and actually, I know this sounds corny, but I really needed somebody.”

Watkins also opined on interracial relationships.

“I mean, I know I’m old school, but I ain’t never seen the like of all this s***,” Watkins said. “Have you all? And then you watch TV, and you see f****** n*****and a f****** white woman, all kinds of s***.”

Previous accusations of racism

Watkins has previously been accused of racism by former employees who claim an atmosphere of racism at the jail created a hostile work environment.

"He's extremely racist," former employee Grace Smith said in an interview last year. "He tried to hide it, but when you've been racist for a long time, you don't hide it very well ... The jailer was a force to be reckoned with. He didn't believe in following rules."

Smith filed the lawsuit with former employee Carl Reesor, claiming that Watkins’ racist and sexist language ran rampant in the jail. Watkins repeatedly refers to Smith as “that f****** black b****” and “f****** n***** b*****” in the recent recording.

"He talked about how he hated Chinese people," Reesor added. "It was to the point we thought he was kidding, and we're all kind of looking at each other. Then we find out he's serious."

Watkins addressed that accusation in the recorded conversation with Greenwell claiming he is not “prejudiced.”

“You know why I’m prejudiced?” Watkins asked in the recording. “That f****** black b**** has heard me say that I don’t like Chinese people. Well, see, [WDRB reporter] Valerie Chinn is Chinese.”

Chinn is half-Chinese, half-Vietnamese.

WDRB previously obtained surveillance video from inside the jail of Watkins berating employees for calling out sick.

"Evidently nobody gives a f***, but you know what, they're going to start giving a f***, I guarantee you they are,” Watkins tells a minority employee in April 2019.

In a separate lawsuit, former employee Sherrie Thompson accused Watkins of creating a hostile work environment for women because of his “chauvinistic” attitude. There are currently at least three pending lawsuits against Watkins that accuse him of being combative and creating an untenable work place.

“I know I’m not the greatest mother***** in the world. I can go off at the drop of a hat,” Watkins said.

Thompson’s lawsuit is being settled. Bullitt County agreed to pay Thompson an undisclosed amount. 

Greenwell’s troubles

Greenwell, who served as sheriff from 2011-17, is no stranger to controversy. He resigned in the middle of his second term after he was indicted on charges of hindering a federal drug investigation. Greenwell faced a 10-year sentence.

He was acquitted of the charges in a 2018 trial.

“If they can do it to you once, they can do it to you twice,” Greenwell said after the verdict. “So at this time, I don’t ever see any politics in my future.

But he announced his campaign to win back his seat as sheriff in January.

Following Greenwell’s acquittal, Watkins briefly hired Greenwell as his chief deputy, but quickly fired him. Watkins apologized to Greenwell during the recorded conversation, claiming that he was pressured to get rid of him by Bullitt County Judge-Executive Jerry Summers.

“(Carl Reesor) had private meetings with Jerry Summers in closed doors. Yes,” Watkins told Greenwell. “And it was mainly about me and about firing you, that n***** b**** Grace (Smith). She had all these years of experience. She didn’t know s*** about s***.”

For his part, Summers said in a phone interview last week that he never pressured Watkins to fire Greenwell. He also called the remarks on the recording “inexcusable” and said Watkins should resign.

"It needs to be better. And I don't know who the person will be that can make it better," Greenwell said. "I just pray the right person gets in there and makes it better." 

Watkins has previously said that he is not racist because he has biracial grandchildren. He also claimed in the recording that he has hired more Black employees than ever at the jail.

Bullitt County is nearly 96% white, according to Census data.

“I’ve got more black employees now than we ever had. Every one of the motherf****** would go to bat for me today," Watkins said. "I guarantee they would.”

Related Stories:

• SUNDAY EDITION | Former employees allege mistreatment, discrimination inside Bullitt County Jail
• Allegations of racism, inmate mistreatment at Bullitt County Jail outlined in new whistleblower lawsuit
• Bullitt County jailer accused of chauvinistic attitude and belittling women

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