Controversial Bullitt County jailer dies, jailer-elect sworn in early

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Controversial Bullitt County Jailer Paul Watkins has died.

According to Judge-Executive Jerry Summers, Watkins died of a heart attack Sunday night while in Indiana.

As a result, Summers swore in jailer-elect Bryan Whittaker on Monday afternoon. Two Deputy Jailer were also sworn-in.

Whittaker is running unopposed for Bullitt County jailer in Tuesday's general election.

Whittaker unseated Watkins in the May election, after WDRB uncovered racist and sexist comments made by Watkins.

Whittaker tells WDRB that his priorities are to bring leadership and stability to the Bullitt County Detention Center and maintain safety of the jail. He said a new command staff is going into place to ensure a smooth transition.

WDRB had a one-on-one interview with Whittaker on Monday.

He said, "It's really overwhelming right now. Unfortunate events like the passing of Paul Watkins, no one wants to take office like this."

Whittaker says, "Today, I'm having an emergency meeting with supervisors now to put their mind at ease, let them know there is leadership there, that we need to continue to operate the jail in a stable, safe manner."

Whittaker says change will happen immediately. He says, "I know there is some active investigations going on with some of the currently Deputy Jailers. You want all of your employees to stay in their lane. If you are not staying in your lane which is SOP's (Standard Operating Procedure), following the law, we're not keeping you."

Watkins has been the subject of backlash and lawsuits for years centered around racist and sexist behavior. In April, a WDRB News investigation unveiled a secret recording of Watkins' hurling racial slurs at work.

He 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.

Whittaker says, "If you set politics to a side on a personal level, I think Paul was a different type person. But obviously, there has been controversial things that have been said and done, but that's in the past. Now we're moving forward and our goal is to make the jail a better place and support Paul's family during this tragic event right now."

Whittaker was charged with terroristic threatening back in June, but the case was dismissed. At the time, Whittaker said it involved his wife and a former friend. In our interview, he said, "That's now water under the bridge. It's an unfortunate incident that's been dismissed." He said, "I was going through a divorce. Divorces can get sticky. That's all I am going to say about it."

The new Jailer said he wants people in Bullitt County to know, "I've been a sergeant for many years in the police department. I bring a lot of knowledge and leadership to the jail, and I'm going to implement that and use that."

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