LEXINGTON, Ky. — John Tilley, the former state representative and former Secretary of the Kentucky Justice and Public Safety Cabinet, is in a Lexington jail charged with rape. 

What You Need To Know

  • Former justice secretary John Tilley arrested for rape

  • He served the 8th District in the State House of Representatives from 2006 to 2015.

  • Former Gov. Matt Bevin appointed him Secretary of Justice and Public Safety

  • A conviction for first degree rape carries a sentence of 10-20 years in prison

Tilley, the 53-year-old who oversaw Kentucky’s state prison system under former Gov. Matt Bevin, is accused of having sex at a Lexington hotel with a woman who could not consent due to her level of intoxication.

According to the Lexington Division of Corrections database, Tilley was arrested Monday, Aug. 8 in downtown Lexington and booked just after 9 a.m. Tilley is charged with 1st degree rape. Tilley is being held without bond.

Tilley’s attorney, Steve Schroering, told news outlets that his client is innocent and turned himself in.

“John Tilley maintains his innocence of the criminal charges and has cooperated with the investigation,” Schroering said. “He respects the judicial process and has no further comment at this time.”

Rape in the first degree is a Class B felony unless the victim is under twelve (12) years old or receives a serious physical injury, in which case it is a Class A felony, per Kentucky statutes. Conviction for a Class B felony is 10-20 years in prison. Conviction of a Class A felony is 20+ years in prison.

Tilley served in the Kentucky House of Representatives from 2006 to 2015. Former Gov. Matt Bevin named him Secretary of the Kentucky Justice and Public Safety Cabinet and he served from 2015 to 2019. 

Before that, Tilley served five terms as a Democratic state lawmaker from Hopkinsville.