‘No valid reason for this delay.’ Harless family sues KSP for investigative records
The family of a Laurel County man shot and killed in 2024 by London police officers who were reportedly serving a warrant at the wrong house is suing Kentucky State Police for records related to the investigation into his death.
Nicki Lawson and Mona Alsip, the daughters of Douglas “Doug” Harless, claim police violated the Kentucky Open Records Act by delaying the release of the investigative file into their father’s shooting death. Meanwhile, attorneys for the family believe those records could soon be transferred to the city of London, where they could be shielded from public view once more under the guise of an open investigation.
The Harless killing plunged a rural Southeastern Kentucky town into near-political and legal chaos and has generated a new level of scrutiny in the commonwealth over police shootings that sometimes go unnoticed. County officials have called for a federal civil rights investigation into the incident, and the London City Council is probing the police and mayor for what went wrong that night.
A Laurel County grand jury declined to indict any of the officers involved in the Dec. 23, 2024, shooting last month, effectively closing the criminal investigation into Harless’ death. That should have prompted the release of documents and video files police have closely guarded since the late-night raid, attorneys for his estate told the Herald-Leader.
Instead, KSP responded to a pair of new open records requests attorneys filed in February insisting officials need more time to review documents and determine whether they are subject to withholding and make necessary redactions. The agency said it “will provide a final response to” the requests on or before Monday, April 13.
KSP has also delayed the release of investigative records the Herald-Leader requested again after the grand jury made its determination. A due date on the request was manually changed by KSP staff from Feb. 27 to April 13.
Yet, a final determination on the records is required within five business days under state law, said Howard Mann, an attorney representing the Harless family. State agencies can delay their release when they are “in active use, storage, or not otherwise available,” but they cannot delay the final determination on whether those records are subject to withholding.
One request the attorneys filed sought just two documents: the warrant police used to break down Harless’ door that night and the affidavit supporting it. Once an investigation has concluded, search warrants almost always become public record, but the warrant has still not been filed with the Laurel County Circuit clerk.
KSP told attorneys for the Harless family that request, too, could take another month to produce.
“They’ve been holding onto these records for 15 months,” Mann said. “There’s no valid reason for this delay.”
Returning a warrant to the circuit clerk is the responsibility of the officer or officers who executed it, according to the Kentucky Rules of Criminal Procedure.
The Harless estate has asked the Franklin Circuit Court, which has jurisdiction over state agency open records disputes, to bind state police under a temporary restraining order and injunction from transferring records to the city and London Police Department. Mayor Randall Weddle and police officials have indicated they intend to open an administrative investigation into the Harless shooting, which could delay the documents even further.
Attorneys for the Harless estate have an active wrongful death lawsuit against the police department.
A spokesperson for KSP said the agency has not yet been served with a lawsuit. The spokesperson forwarded the Herald-Leader a copy of the letter it sent attorneys for the Harless family and said KSP will release all non-exempt records to requesting parties.
Harless, 63, was shot five times in his double-wide mobile home at 511 Vanzant Road in rural Laurel County after police say he pointed a gun at them while they were conducting a search warrant for stolen lawn equipment.
The original warrant reportedly listed 489 Vanzant Road, which is where Harless’ house appears on county property valuation administrator maps, but his house prominently displayed the 511 address.
The identities of the officers who fired on Harless have never been officially released.
This story was originally published March 13, 2026 at 11:44 AM.
