(WKYT) – Laurel County Judge-Executive David Westerfield was defeated in the Republican primary, losing by 177 votes in a close four-way race, according to unofficial election returns.
Walter T. Hulett led the field with 5,562 votes (45%), followed by Westerfield with 5,385 (44%). William N. Eversole received 762 votes (6%), and Tina Carnes had 575 (5%). A total of 12,284 votes were cast.
WKYT Streaming Apps
Westerfield’s loss comes as scrutiny continues in connection with the December 2024 officer-involved shooting death of Doug Harless in London.
Kentucky State Police released a more than 1,000-page case file on the shooting, which happened two days before Christmas as London police attempted to serve an arrest warrant on Vanzant Road. Police said officers forced entry into Harless’ home and saw him holding a gun before he was shot and killed.
Court records later showed the warrant was tied to a report of a stolen weed eater from property owned by Westerfield. Hobert Buttery was already in jail and charged in the theft at the time of Harless’ death.
WKYT previously obtained dispatch audio from the night of the shooting in which officers repeatedly said they were at 489 Vanzant Road, though they were actually at 511 Vanzant Road. In the latest case file released by state police, investigators noted the home’s address numbers were visible under a motion-activated light.