Paducah man convicted of threatening a McCracken District Judge

A Paducah man has been convicted of threatening a McCracken District Judge.

Attorney General Russell Coleman said on Monday that 36-year-old David Cox accepted a plea agreement that will see him serve time for the threats. Cox pleaded guilty to intimidating a participant in the legal process and menacing toward a judge whom Cox believed would hear his case on a misdemeanor charge. The threats reportedly came back in August of 2025, and according to court documents, placed the judge in “apprehension of imminent physical injury from the Defendant.”

Coleman said, “Justice is done when we rely on the rule of law, not threats. Our Office takes threats against prosecutors, judges and anyone in the legal system extremely seriously.”

The plea agreement calls for Cox to serve a two-year prison sentence, have no contact with the judge, not be in or near the parking lot at the courthouse where judges and prosecutors park, and stay more than 500 feet from the McCracken County Courthouse unless required to be there. He is also required to have substance abuse and mental health assessments.

Cox will be formally sentenced on April 27th.


Gavel by Joe Gratz Public Domain Flickr