Man charged with officer's death to face grand jury

Nov. 9—The man charged with the death of London Police Officer Logan Medlock will now face possible indictment by a Laurel grand jury later this month.

Casey P. Byrd, 36, of Oneida, Tennessee, appeared in Laurel District Court on Tuesday for a preliminary hearing. In the crowd gathering for the hearing were several members of the London Police Department and Laurel County Sheriff's Office.

Arresting officer, Kentucky State Police Trooper Steve Walker, testified that Byrd's blood alcohol level was .293 at the time of the crash. His breathalyzer test showed his level at .294. The legal limit in Kentucky is .08, meaning that Byrd was over three times the legal limit.

Walker testified that Byrd's eyes were glassy and stated in the arrest citation that Byrd needed assistance walking to the police cruiser following the fatal crash. It was also noted that Byrd was driving 51 mph in a 35 mph zone when he crashed into Medlock's vehicle.

Byrd is charged with first offense DUI and murder of a police officer.

Byrd crashed his Dodge Ram pickup truck into the driver's side of Medlock's cruiser just before 1 a.m. on Oct. 30. Medlock, who was on duty at the time, was driving south on South Main Street when Byrd ran through the T-intersection from Barbourville Street to South Main. The impact sent both vehicles off the roadway and into the A.R. Dyche Memorial Cemetery, where two gravestones were knocked off their bases. Medlock was pronounced dead at the scene.

Byrd was reportedly uninjured and was taken to jail, where he has remained.

During the preliminary hearing, Byrd's attorney, Jeremy Brantley, asked for a bond reduction. Byrd was a guard at the McCreary County federal prison, where he had been employed for three years. That did not sway the judge's decision, however, and Byrd remains held under $1 million cash bond.

He was ordered to appear in Laurel Circuit Court on Friday, Nov. 18 when the grand jury indictments are announced.