KENTUCKY — John Tilley, former Kentucky justice and Public Safety Cabinet secretary, will be arraigned on Oct. 28 for a first-degree rape charged, according to the Fayette Circuit Court. 

What You Need To Know

  • Officials arrested Tilley on Aug. 8 and charged with rape from an incident in April

  • He is accused of having sex at a Lexington hotel with a woman who could not consent due to her level of intoxication

  • 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

Officials arrested Tilley on Aug. 8 and charged with rape from an incident in April. He pleaded not guilty and waived his right to a preliminary hearing during his arraignment. Tilley, 53, 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.

The grand jury indicted him on the charge on Oct. 11, according to court documents. 

“John Tilley maintains his innocence of the criminal charges and has cooperated with the investigation,” Tilley’s attorney, Steve Schroering, said at the time of his arrest. “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. 

Executive Producer Deb Harbsmeier contributed to this report.

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