Judge: Civil case involving Letcher Co. officials, sexual abuse can go to trial
A civil lawsuit accusing government officials in a small, Eastern Kentucky town of exchanging legal leniency for sexual favors may go to trial after a judge ruled Friday the case could proceed.
The suit dates back to January 2022, when Sabrina Adkins alleged Ben Fields, a former Letcher County deputy sheriff, coerced her into having sex with him in a judge’s chambers in exchange for not having to pay her court monitoring fees.
The case has expanded since then. First, another woman, 44-year-old Jennifer Hill, joined the suit. She died in 2023.
And more recently, former Letcher County Sheriff Shawn “Mickey” Stines was charged with murder Sept. 19, 2024, after he was captured on video shooting and killing former Letcher County Judge Kevin Mullins inside Mullins’ chambers.
The shooting brought renewed attention to Adkins’ lawsuit, as speculation ran wild about Stines’ motive for killing Mullins.
Just days before the shooting, Stines gave testimony in a “tense” deposition in Adkins’ case. Jeremy Bartley, Stines’ attorney, previously said the deposition was a “crucial” part of the events that led to the shooting.
Fields was already sentenced to and released from prison on criminal charges in Adkins’ case. But Adkins’ civil suit could reveal more about what her lawyer, Ned Pillersdorf, says are systemic problems involving illicit sex and the criminal justice system in Letcher County.
Adkins’ suit accuses Fields of battery and assault, Stines of improper employee training and Eastern Kentucky Correctional Service of negligence.
How the cases are related
Stines was deposed in Adkins’ case Sept. 16, 2024, three days before he opened fire in Mullins’ court chambers. A deposition is sworn testimony that parties to a lawsuit solicit from the other side before trial.
In the deposition, he answered questions about Fields and the training sheriff’s deputies received, according to court transcripts.
When asked if Mullins knew about sexual acts occurring in his chambers, Stines testified he “couldn’t recall,” according to transcripts.
After the deposition, several of Stines’ colleagues and other county officials — including Mullins himself — said they noticed a change in Stines’ behavior.
Mullins told Whitesburg lawyer Daniel Doton that Stines was “losing it” and couldn’t “handle the pressure” of the deposition, Dotson told Kentucky State Police.
Dotson said Mullins referred to Adkins’ civil suit as “some crack (expletive) wanting money.”
One day before the shooting, Stines told his doctor he was stressed about work-related matters, according to court documents that detail the shooting investigation.
Doston also spoke with Whitesburg Police Chief Tyrone Fields about Stines. On the night before the shooting, Fields recalled Dotson saying, Stines had called him and “lost his mind.”
Fields spoke with Kentucky State Police after the shooting and said Stines’ demeanor changed “markedly,” and there was chatter that the sheriff was “off his rocker,” according to court filings.
One of Stines’ staff members, Christine Bolling, also told investigators that staff members were concerned about Stines’ “very strange behavior.”
Specifically, the day before the shooting, Stines told Bolling that Dotson had given him money to harm himself, or else “they were going to kill (Stines’ wife and daughter),” according to court documents.
Where the criminal case stands
Stines’ defense team submitted several motions this month asking a judge to dismiss Stines’ indictment, decrease his bond and unseal his mental health evaluation.
The judge has yet to rule on the motions, and an evidentiary hearing could be held to determine whether any of the defense’s requests are warranted.
A hearing had not been set in Stines’ case as of Monday.
United States District Judge Robert Weir ruled Adkins’ case could proceed to trial.
Both legal teams have to file a joint status report by Oct. 6. The report will outline the anticipated length of trial, dates of availability and whether they will participate in mediation.
This story was originally published September 23, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
