Man shot, arrested after allegedly threatening deputies in Nelson County

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A sheriff's deputy shot a man on Christmas Day in Nelson County, according to Kentucky State Police.

KSP said the Nelson County Sheriff's Office responded to a welfare check at a house on Margaret Lane in Cox's Creek just after noon. It's a small, gravel drive in a rural area at the edge of the county.

Several neighbors said they were surprised to see so many police cars and flashing lights on the road, especially during Christmas.

"Nothing ever goes on, that I know of, to amount of anything — not even any stealing much around here," said Ronnie Hibbs, who lives nearby.

The sheriff's office said, 51-year-old Scott Hart was at a front door with a pistol in his hand that he refused to drop. According to Sheriff Ramon Pineiroa, Hart "spoke with Nelson County Dispatch threatening to shoot the deputies on scene."

"Hart raised the pistol at Deputy L. Keith," Pineiroa said in a news release.

The sheriff's office said Keith shot Hart. KSP said the shot hit Hart in the arm. According to KSP, Hart was taken to UofL Hospital in downtown Louisville with non-life-threatening injuries and was later booked into the Nelson County Detention Center.

No deputies were hurt, according to KSP.

Hart is now in jail, charged with wanton endangerment, attempted murder of a first responder and disorderly conduct.

"It was surprising," Hibbs said, adding that he doesn't know Hart well but has talked with him several times before.

"... He's just a nice, down-to-earth guy. I mean, I don't know what happened. Something must've flipped him off. I don't know what it was, but something had to change."

The Nelson County Sheriff's Office is handling the criminal case against Hart. KSP is investigating the shooting involving the deputy. Neither agency commented for on-camera interviews Thursday.

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