A Grayson County jury has acquitted Leitchfield Police Sgt. D.J. Newton of assault and terroristic threatening charges stemming from a chaotic June 2024 house fire on Rison Drive, where he tased homeowner Lannie Fentress after Fentress and his adult son refused police orders to evacuate a burning home. Body camera footage captured the confrontation, which began when a lithium battery caught fire inside the house and officers demanded the occupants leave for safety reasons.
According to WDRB, police alleged that Lannie Fentress swung at officers during the standoff, and both Fentress and his son were arrested after the confrontation turned physical. Newton and Lannie Fentress got into a heated argument before the tasing occurred, and Fentress's son was also tased, though by a different officer. The younger Fentress was tased by Officer Justin Cockerel before Newton tased Lannie Fentress, according to K105.
Charges Against the Fentresses Collapsed First
The criminal case took a sharp turn away from the homeowners well before Newton ever faced a jury. Charges against Lannie Fentress and his son were later dropped after their arrests, with a judge dismissing menacing and criminal trespassing charges, per WDRB's reporting. A Grayson County District Court judge had initially found probable cause against the father and son following a preliminary hearing, but a special grand jury declined to indict them and instead returned an indictment against Newton himself, a shift The Owensboro Times described as a dramatic reassignment of legal liability from the residents to the officer.
That grand jury, in November 2024, charged Newton with seven misdemeanor counts: two counts of fourth-degree assault, two counts of third-degree terroristic threatening, one count of first-degree criminal trespassing, and two counts of menacing, according to K105. The indictment followed an investigation into the body camera footage from the incident. The Grayson County Attorney's Office wanted out of the case, prompting the Kentucky Attorney General's Office to appoint Daviess County special prosecutor John Burlew and Hardin County District Judge Deborah Shaw to handle the case.
Hazards Cited by Officers at the Scene
Responding officers said the basement fire posed dangers beyond the flames themselves. Officers cited unknown dangers associated with the active fire and the lithium battery, according to K105's account of the June 2024 emergency response. Those hazards were central to why police say they needed the Fentresses out of the house immediately. According to the U.S. Fire Administration, responders at incidents involving lithium-ion batteries can face hazards including thermal runaway. The U.S. Fire Administration identified lithium-ion batteries as a potential risk for first responders in its 2023 Firefighter Safety Stand Down.
That safety rationale also anchored Newton's defense before local officials. During a December 2024 Leitchfield City Council meeting, retired 39-year law enforcement veteran Tim Moutardier defended Newton, K105 reported. Newton faced numerous unknown dangers during a chaotic situation, according to WDRB's account of the case.
Acquittal and the Department's Response
The Grayson County jury found Newton not guilty on the assault and terroristic threatening charges. Interim Leitchfield Police Chief David Riley said the agency has maintained throughout that Newton did not commit a crime, and that the case came down to the facts and the law, per WDRB. Riley added that Newton prioritized the safety of officers, fire victims and surrounding neighbors during the incident.
Even so, the department's internal review reached a different conclusion than the jury did. The Leitchfield Police Department found that Newton violated departmental policy and disciplined him under applicable law and department policy, WDRB reported, after the department's initial investigation into the incident. Riley said Newton remains on administrative leave, and the sergeant's status within the department is still under review. The department has also modified its training within the two years since the fire, according to the outlet.
A National Institute of Justice summary said doctors reviewed 1,201 instances of conducted-energy-device use, with citizen injury rates ranging from 17 to 64 percent depending on the injury measure. The National Institute of Justice reported on November 2, 2011, that more than 12,000 law enforcement agencies in the United States used conducted-energy devices as an alternative to conventional weapons.
Newton's attorney, Thomas Clay, claimed prosecutors lied in the case and said the defense is considering Newton's next options, per WDRB's reporting. Clay was identified as Newton's attorney in reports on the case.
Federal Lawsuit Still Pending
The criminal acquittal closes one chapter, but not the broader legal fight. Lannie and Daron Fentress filed a federal civil rights lawsuit in December 2024 in U.S. District Court against the City of Leitchfield, Grayson County, Newton and other responding officers, alleging excessive force, assault, battery and false arrest under 42 U.S.C. Section 1983, according to K105.
In May 2025, U.S. District Judge Rebecca Grady Jennings granted partial dismissal of that lawsuit, throwing out claims against the police department as an entity along with Eighth Amendment claims and municipal punitive damage requests against the city. Separately, in February 2025, U.S. Magistrate Judge H. Brent Brennenstuhl ordered a stay on civil discovery directed at Newton pending the resolution of his state criminal charges, a stay meant to protect his constitutional rights while the prosecution was ongoing. With the criminal case now resolved, the account did not specify whether the discovery stay would lift or how the federal case would proceed.
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