PIKEVILLE, Ky. — The Commonwealth’s Attorney for Pike County is asking a circuit judge to recuse himself from the sentencing of a sexual abuse case and every other pending indictment prosecuted by the office, citing an alleged personal conflict involving threatened litigation against the prosecutor.

Commonwealth’s Attorney Bill Slone filed the motion Thursday, Nov.5, in Pike Circuit Court, arguing that the presiding judge’s stated intention to sue him for malicious prosecution and conspiracy raises questions about the judge’s ability to remain impartial in cases prosecuted by the office.

The motion also alleges the judge’s attorney communicated threats of litigation against Tommy Chamberlin, the husband of one of the assistant Commonwealth’s attorneys, over their perceived roles in a previous federal indictment against the judge for mail fraud and theft of government funds. Hall was ultimately found not guilty of the charges.

According to the motion, the judge also contacted another assistant Commonwealth’s attorney seeking information to support the planned lawsuit and promised to keep the communication secret. Slone alleges the judge made disparaging remarks about him and two other assistant prosecutors during that conversation.

In an affidavit filed in support of the motion, Slone swore that the factual statements in the filing were true to the best of his knowledge, information and belief.

The motion argues that the circumstances create a conflict extending beyond the case in question because the judge would be presiding over criminal prosecutions brought by an office whose elected leader he allegedly intends to sue.

Slone is asking the court to remove the judge from Hall’s case and all pending indictments prosecuted by the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office for the 35th Judicial Circuit, which encompasses Pike County.

The filing cites Kentucky law and a 2025 Kentucky Supreme Court decision, arguing that recusal is necessary when a judge’s impartiality could reasonably be questioned. If the judge declines to recuse, the Commonwealth says it reserves the right to pursue the matter through the chief justice of the Kentucky Supreme Court.

The motion stems from the case against Scotty R. Hall, 49, of Teaberry, who was indicted in 2022 on a charge of first-degree sexual abuse. The indictment alleged that Hall engaged in masturbation in the presence of a child younger than 16 and knew or had reason to know the person was present.

Hall was found guilty following a jury trial in August. According to the court’s verdict, jurors recommended a four-year prison sentence. A sentencing hearing was scheduled for Nov. 12, pending a presentence investigation.

The recusal motion does not address the merits of Hall’s conviction. It seeks to have the presiding judge removed from the case and other criminal matters prosecuted by Slone’s office.

Copies of the motion and affidavit follow: