Nelson County sheriff, chief deputy indicted on multiple charges

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Nelson County Sheriff Ramon Pineiora and Chief Deputy Brandon Bryan have been indicted.

According to court documents, both are charged with abuse of public trust, theft by deception and official misconduct. Bryan is also charged with forgery.

The indictments come as Pineiora faces a whistleblower lawsuit by two detectives claiming they were retaliated against after reporting Bryan for breaking the law.

"They are very apprehensive, because they're in a very delicate and awkward position and they did not want to be in this position but when KSP came to interview them they felt like they had to tell them the truth and they did tell them the truth," Thomas Clay, the attorney representing the detectives said.

The complaint alleges the chief deputy illegally sold three vehicles from a Nelson County evidence warehouse. They were sold privately, not in a public auction, and at less than market value.

According to court records, when Drug Task Force Detective Ian Justice reported the sales, Pineiora retaliated against him and Detective Will Purdom by pulling them off the task force and forbidding them from working any overtime. The detectives are now suing for damages, including lost wages.

"I've been doing this for 50 years, and I've never seen the circumstances that exist today among law enforcement," Clay said. "Good law enforcement officers are getting messed over, they're getting disciplined, they're getting terminated. Bad law enforcement officers seem to be getting away with it to the point where nobody wants to be in law enforcement anymore."

Wednesday, Pineiora and Bryan were served a summons by Kentucky State Police to appear for arraignment in Nelson County Circuit Court at 2 p.m. March 20. Bond will be set during that court appearance.

This story will be updated.

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