Lawyer to Discuss Deal for Tonya Ray Next Month

A meeting next month could determine whether McCracken County Jailer Tonya Ray goes to trial on either of the charges she is facing. 

Ray's attorney, Thomas E. Clay, told West Kentucky Star that he will be meeting with special prosecutors Jason Darnell and Lynn Pryor on November 15 to discuss resolution of the charges against her. 

Clay said, "We're going down there with an open mind and hopefully we can work out a resolution that will be acceptable to everybody."

He said nothing has been discussed so far, so he doesn't know what the prosecutors will offer.
 
Ray is charged with violating a whistle blower law related to the March firing of Deputy Jailer David Knight, who has since been reinstated and won the Republican Primary in the jailer's race. Ray also faces a perjury charge related to her testimony in the misconduct hearing of former deputy jailer Ben Green a year ago.

Ray lost the Democratic primary in the jailer's race to Dan Sims in May, so she will leave office at the end of the year. She was appointed to the position in 2017 after the retirement of Bill Adams.