Ky. FBI agent charged with domestic assault. Incident is under ‘inquiry,’ FBI says
A local FBI agent is facing potential charges of assault-domestic violence and strangulation stemming from an incident last year, according to court documents.
Michael Van Aelstyn, 44, had a domestic violence complaint filed against him in Woodford County on July 9, and an emergency protection order was issued that same day, according to court records.
Van Aelstyn was later criminally charged and turned himself in at the Woodford County Detention Center on Aug. 13, two days after a judge signed off on an arrest warrant, according to an arrest citation.
An order for Van Aelstyn to surrender firearms was issued the same day as the emergency protective order, according to court records. But on Sept. 23 the order was amended, allowing Van Aelstyn to possess a firearm while on duty.
Van Aelstyn was granted conditional release on a $5,000 unsecured bond, according to court records.
A spokesperson for the FBI confirmed they’re aware of the incident and it’s currently under an “administrative inquiry.” The spokesperson also confirmed that Van Aelstyn is an FBI special agent.
It’s unclear when Van Aelstyn’s criminal case will take its next steps. Woodford County Attorney Alan George, the county prosecutor who handles district court cases, said the case left district court and was sent to a grand jury on Jan. 3. George said his office has not received any documentation indicating a grand jury has made a ruling.
Court records didn’t indicate that a grand jury has made a decision on whether or not to indict Van Aelstyn. Since Van Aelstyn is no longer in custody, the 60-day rule to present a case to the grand jury does not apply, George said.
A spokesperson for Robert Duncan Jr., Van Aelstyn’s attorney in the criminal case and the former U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, declined to comment on the case. An attorney representing Van Aelstyn in the domestic violence case didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
The attorney for the alleged victim who filed the domestic violence complaint has also not responded to requests for comment.
A case management conference is scheduled for June 2 in the domestic violence dispute, according to court records. No upcoming court dates are listed in records for Van Aelstyn’s criminal case.
This story was originally published April 29, 2022 at 1:30 PM.
CORRECTION: Robert Duncan Jr. was previously the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky. This information was incorrect in a previous version of this story.
