County Magistrate Indicted On Felony Charge

Charge Is Class D Felony

Darren Doyle, story:
An Edmonson County magistrate was formally indicted by an Edmonson County Grand Jury on February 14, 2020 and now faces a felony charge.

District Two Magistrate Corey VanMeter was indicted on one count of Theft by failure to make required disposition of property-$500 or more, according to court documents provided by the Edmonson County Circuit Clerk's Office. The charge is a Class D Felony.

The indictment document stated that VanMeter was paid by an individual to install a heating and cooling system and materials but failed to deliver the said materials, dating back to March 1, 2019. 

VanMeter spoke to the Edmonson Voice about the charge, which he said he felt would be dismissed.

"I provided the materials and services that I was paid to do," he said. "I was unable to complete the full job, but I actually provided more than what the individual paid me for and I have documents that will show that, and I'm confident that this charge will be dropped."

Judge Executive Wil Cannon said that the fiscal court cannot and will not take any action on this at this time.

"This is unrelated to county business," he said. "First of all, everyone is innocent unless proven guilty, so as the Judge Executive, it's my job to support all magistrates in their duties. We all serve the same people and if I don't give support to magistrates to help them with their jobs, I'm not supporting the people in their districts. As long as Corey is doing his job as a magistrate, the county has no position in this matter."

A Class D Felony carries a penalty of 1-5 years in jail and can include fines ranging from $1000 to $10,000.

An indictment is only a formal charge and not an admission of guilt.