Pubdate: Sun, 20 Jun 2004
Source: News-Enterprise, The (KY)
Copyright: 2004 News-Enterprise
Contact:  http://www.newsenterpriseonline.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1663
Author: Brian Walker

COUNTY PROSECUTOR FIRED

A Hardin County prosecutor caught in videotaped tryst with a drug case 
defendant was fired Friday.

Bob Stevens, who had been on paid leave since May 25, was told his 
inappropriate contact with Erica French was the reason for his termination 
in a letter from Hardin County Commonwealth's Attorney Chris Shaw.

French, who had pleaded guilty in March to several drug charges, was 
sentenced to five years probation last week.

Shaw said Saturday he initially chose to place Stevens on paid leave 
instead of firing him immediately because he hadn't seen the tape or other 
evidence, and the investigation into the incident had just begun.

Shaw said part of his hesitation in firing Stevens right away stemmed from 
his distrust of French's former attorney and mastermind behind the 
videotaping, Kenneth Daniels.

"I couldn't take the man at his word," Shaw said.

He said he decided to wait and see what was revealed by the Special 
Investigation Unit of the Kentucky State Police out of Frankfort. The 
investigation is still open and no criminal action on Stevens' part have 
been found, Shaw said.

Investigators at Kentucky State Police headquarters in Frankfort could not 
be reached for comment.

Shaw said even though the investigation was still open, he was no longer 
comfortable waiting for the results.

He mailed Stevens a letter Friday that reads in part, "... It is my belief 
that contact of any type with a defendant, but most certainly that of a 
sexual nature, is not in keeping with the requirements of an assistant 
commonwealth's attorney in this office ..."

Stevens would not comment when reached on Saturday, referring questions to 
his attorney, Dwight Preston.

Attorneys for French's co-defendants, Billie Joe Strader and Earl Weiman, 
want cop-ies of the tape. They success-fully argued before Hardin County 
Circuit Court Judge Janet Coleman last week that the tape might contain 
discussion of their case.

A hearing Thursday in which a copy of the tape was played in court revealed 
it had little to no audio on it. Coleman has ordered another hearing for 
this Thursday to see if the original tape can be found.

Shaw said despite the loss of Stevens and having another prosecutor soon to 
go on maternity leave, his office would soldier on.

"We still have a job to do and we're going to do it," he said.
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