Stines was arrested and charged with first-degree murder in the shooting of District Judge Kevin Mullins. With Stines now pleading not guilty, the governor is urging the alleged shooter to step down.
"The facts that we all know, regardless of motive, which will be determined through the criminal investigation, show that the current sheriff can't continue in that role and what I'm trying to do is to get Letcher County a sheriff that can be active as quickly as possible," he explained.
While the governor can initiate the removal of a peace officer, Beshear said that rarely-used process can be lengthy — around six months — and the fastest way to resolve the issue in Letcher County is for Stines to voluntarily step aside.
If Steins does resign, the county judge-executive would appoint a new sheriff.
As for finding a new judge, Beshear said his office is currently in the middle of naming some of the members of a panel that will ultimately recommend three names to his office. The governor said the relatively small, close-knit nature of the community presents a challenge in naming the selection panel.
"So we've got to find the right people in the community because the district judge in the seat is just that county. So we need to find the the right folks that haven't been impacted in ways that would that would prevent or preclude service," Beshear added.
In the meantime, the state's chief justice can assign other judges or retired judges to fill in the position.
