(FOX 56) — A grand jury has indicted Billy Proffitt Jr. on first-degree manslaughter in the death of a 60-year-old Whitley City man.
Kentucky State Police troopers said Gene Cooper died after what they described as a physical altercation on April 7 at a home on Patterson Drive in Strunk.
According to authorities, troopers received a disturbance call around 12:30 a.m. When they arrived, they found Cooper unresponsive. He had “sustained fatal injuries during the altercation,” state police wrote.
On June 22, a McCreary County grand jury returned an indictment charging 58-year-old Proffitt with first-degree manslaughter in Cooper’s death.
The next day, authorities said they requested the U.S. Marshals Service’s assistance in locating Proffitt.
Based on initial investigations, officials believed Proffitt may be living in North Carolina. He was arrested around 9 p.m. June 23 in McDowell County, North Carolina.
He was taken to the McDowell County Jail in Marion, North Carolina, where he is awaiting extradition back to Kentucky.
Court records show Proffitt has a cash bond set for $250,000.