FRANKFORT, Ky. — A federal judge has denied a request from suspended Pike Circuit Judge Howard Keith Hall to dismiss the criminal charges against him.
Hall, a longtime former Pike County Attorney, was indicted in April on two counts of mail fraud and one count of theft of government funds. Prosecutors allege that during his time as county attorney, Hall appointed an assistant who did little to no work but still collected more than $440,000 in salary and benefits. They say Hall then received more than $500,000 in payments from the assistant’s law firm.
Hall’s attorneys argued the indictment should be thrown out, claiming Kentucky law does not set a minimum workload for part-time assistant county attorneys. But in a ruling issued Thursday, U.S. District Judge Gregory Van Tatenhove said the indictment clearly alleges facts that, if proven, would constitute federal crimes.
The court stressed that questions about the strength of the government’s evidence must be decided at trial, not in pretrial motions. Hall remains under indictment as the case proceeds toward trial.
The judge’s full ruling follows:
