‘Put it all behind him.’ Former Scott Co. coroner pleads guilty to perjury in state court
Former Scott County Coroner John Goble has pleaded guilty in Scott County Circuit Court for a charge of perjury after accepting a plea deal with prosecutors.
Thursday afternoon, Goble appeared in court for a status hearing on seven charges against him including two counts of receiving stolen property, abuse of public trust, first-degree official misconduct, first-degree perjury, first-degree possession of a controlled substance, and first-degree official misconduct.
He accepted a plea agreement that dismissed all the charges except perjury , according to court documents.
Court records state Goble committed perjury in May 2018 when he testified under oath to the Scott County Circuit Court Grand Jury.
Documents say he made a false statement that he used his daughter’s vehicle to transport donor eyes from the Kentucky Eye Bank to West Virginia when he actually unlawfully used a government vehicle belonging to the Scott County Fiscal Court.
Goble faces one year in prison for the perjury charge.
Fred Peters, Goble’s attorney, said this was just one step to help Goble put all criminal proceedings behind him.
“Mr Goble is 69 years old and in poor health and we are glad to put all this behind him,” Peters told the Herald-Leader. “He is not in the best health, and we are moving forward with sentencings and to just let him get on with this life.”
His sentencing for the perjury charge is scheduled for Oct. 3, at 9 a.m.
In May 2022, Goble was sentenced in federal court after he pleaded guilty to a felony count of conspiracy to defraud the United States government. He also resigned from his position as coroner after serving for 20 years.
Goble, also a former state trooper, pleaded guilty before Judge Gregory Van Tatenhove. He admitted to conspiring with another trooper to secure weapons and nearly $40,000 worth of ammunition that belonged to the state police supply branch in Frankfort.
According to court documents, Goble and a former Kentucky State Police trooper, Michael Crawford, were indicted on March 18, 2021, for two counts of charges to commit conspiracy. The two were accused of working together to obtain ammunition that belonged to state police.
Goble is scheduled to be sentenced for the federal crimes on Sept. 23.
Crawford was convicted in federal court Wednesday for conspiring to misappropriate weapons and ammunition belonging to state police with others, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Crawford worked with Goble and state police armorer, Mitch Harris, in the conspiracy, the DOJ said. Together the trio misappropriated 21 guns belonging to state police, including 19 shotguns and two M1A rifles.
