Ex-Georgetown police chief was among people who bought barrel of stolen bourbon

FRANKFORT — Former Georgetown Police Chief Greg Reeves was among the people who purchased a barrel of stolen bourbon from a co-defendant in a bourbon-theft ring, according to court documents filed this week.

In a written, voluntary statement to the Franklin County Sheriff's Office, Reeves, 53, said that Dustin "Dusty" Adkins "assured me over and over this was on the up and up."

Adkins, 42, of Georgetown pleaded guilty Aug. 6 to a reduced charge of criminal conspiracy to receive stolen property over $10,000, a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail.

Adkins was initially indicted in April on charges of stealing more than $100,000 in bourbon from the Wild Turkey distillery in Anderson County and Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort. The stolen bourbon included bottles of Pappy Van Winkle and Eagle Rare from Buffalo Trace.

Adkins acted as a middleman for Gilbert "Toby" Curtsinger, 45, the alleged central figure in the theft ring, in the sale of stolen bourbon from Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort, according to a plea agreement.

A term of the plea deal is that Adkins will testify against Curtsinger.

Reeves said Adkins approached him in the spring of 2012 "and asked if I wanted to buy some bourbon that has been misproofed," or that was inaccurate in its description of alcohol content.

Reeves was chief of the Georgetown police department from March 2004 to February 2012, when he was fired by then-Mayor Everette Varney.

Adkins, who lives in Georgetown, approached Reeves two or three times, the written statement says. Reeves said he and two friends paid "$300 or $320 each" for the barrel, for a total price of $900 to $960.

"Adkins dropped it off at my home. We each took a third of it," Reeves wrote.

On Aug. 11, Reeves and the two friends turned over 14 mason jars of bourbon, "numerous wooden planks from a barrel of whisky" and six metal rings from a barrel to the sheriff's office, according to an inventory of recovered property.

It appears unlikely that Reeves will be prosecuted in connection with the bourbon-theft case. Court records indicate that similar witnesses who acquired stolen bourbon and who have cooperated in the investigation have not been charged.

Franklin County Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Zach Becker would only say that Reeves "fully cooperated with the investigation and in turning over the barrel to law enforcement."

In a sworn affidavit, Adkins said he met Curtsinger "through playing softball."

"I knew Toby worked at Buffalo Trace," Adkins said in the affidavit. "Toby often brought bourbon or tequila or other liquor to softball gatherings to share with other players."

Furthermore, the affidavit said, "It was common knowledge Toby sold liquor as well. Toby stated on numerous occasions that he could get a discount on the liquor due to proof issues, labeling mistakes, taste differences, a leaky barrel, etc."

Adkins said he bought about 20 quarts of bourbon from Curtsinger in 2010-11.

"I later purchased 2 barrels of bourbon for my personal use from Toby," Adkins said. "I believe the first barrel I bought was in 2011, and I paid $1,000 cash for it. ...The second barrel I bought was in January 2015, and I paid $1,500 by check."

"Wanting friends and acquaintances to get a good deal as well, I also facilitated the purchase of 9 other barrels from Toby Curtsinger," the affidavit says. "On all the barrels except for one ... I made approximately $100 or $200 per barrel."

Another person wanted to purchase Pappy Van Winkle bourbon in 2006 or 2007, "so I put him in touch with Toby," Adkins said in the affidavit.

"More recently, Toby said he had 3 cases of Pappy for sale because the labels were 'messed up.' According to Toby, there was a problem with the labels on the bottles because the box got wet," the affidavit said.

Finally, in 2012 or 2013, Adkins said he bought human growth hormone from Curtsinger.

"I never sold it or gave it to anyone," Adkins said. "I did not like it so never used it again."

The sheriff's office also recovered from Adkins an unopened bottle of 15-year-old Pappy Van Winkle Family Reserve bourbon and an unopened bottle of 20-year-old Pappy Van Winkle Family Reserve bourbon.

This story was originally published August 20, 2015 at 4:38 PM with the headline "Ex-Georgetown police chief was among people who bought barrel of stolen bourbon."