A former Jessamine County sheriff's deputy is facing a criminal charge after a bullet fired inside his Lexington apartment tore through the floor and into the unit below, damaging a neighbor's home. Ramon Torres, 55, was not on duty when the gun went off, and he never reported the shooting himself despite being a sworn police officer, according to court documents.
Torres was charged with discharging a firearm within Lexington-Fayette's urban county limits, according to the Lexington Herald-Leader. Court documents say the incident happened Sept. 18 at Forty57 Apartments, with the newspaper placing it on Moincoin Way, though WKYT reported the address as Mooncoin Way. The bullet traveled through the floor of Torres's unit and into another apartment, causing damage, court documents state.
Court records identify Torres as a sworn police officer but note he was not conducting any official sheriff's office duties when he fired his gun. The station's report adds that a resident reported a shot coming through his floor from the apartment below, and that Torres, despite being a sworn peace officer, did not report the shooting to law enforcement himself.
Deputy Found at His Own Workplace
Officers eventually located Torres not at the apartment complex, but at his place of work — the Jessamine County Sheriff's Office at 201 N. Main St. in Nicholasville. Per the same account, the gun used in the shooting was not Torres's service weapon.
Jessamine County Sheriff's Office spokesperson Shawn Darby told the Herald-Leader that Torres is no longer employed with the agency. Separately, Sheriff Kevin Grimes told WKYT that Torres has since resigned from the department. Both outlets confirm Torres's departure from the sheriff's office, though they attribute the statement to different officials.
What Happens Next
Torres's next scheduled court appearance is a pretrial conference set for Nov. 2, according to court records cited by the Herald-Leader. No further details on the proceeding or how Torres plans to respond to the charge have been made public.
