NELSON COUNTY, Ky. —
The Nelson County sheriff and chief deputy have been indicted on felony charges.
WLKY has now learned more about what led to the charges in a lawsuit filed by two whistleblowers.
Sheriff Ramon Pineiroa and Chief Deputy Brandon Bryan face charges such as abuse of public trust, theft by deception, official misconduct, and threatening whistleblowers. Bryan also faces two counts of felony forgery.
Nelson County Sheriff's website
We discovered the two whistleblowers mentioned in the indictments first filed a lawsuit in February.
The suit claims Bryan illegally sold cars seized during drug investigations to a friend, and when this was reported, Pineiroa retaliated by removing them from different task forces and denying them overtime.
Charges were brought after a Kentucky State Police investigation.
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"Apparently, the sheriff found out that KSP had interviewed the two deputies and was concerned that they might have, for lack of a better term, blown the whistle on him—and it turns out they did," said Thomas Clay, the lawyer representing the whistleblowers in the civil lawsuit.
He says the lawsuit will likely be on hold as the criminal process now plays out.
WLKY confirmed Pineiroa and Bryan continue to work at the Nelson County Sheriff's Office, and Clay confirmed his clients do as well.
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