Threatening a witness, endangering police officer cases set for jury trial

Jan. 31—Two men involved in separate cases of drug-related charges were set for jury trial in Laurel Circuit Court last week.

Christian Hall, 23, of Robert E. Cox Road in Corbin, appeared before Laurel Circuit Judge Greg Lay on Jan. 22, at which time a jury trial was set for March 13. Among some drug charges, Hall is accused of intimidating and threatening a witness in the case.

Hall is charged with trafficking Fentanyl on Aug. 29 and Fentanyl , methamphetamine and heroin on Nov. 23, 2022. He is also charged with conspiracy to trafficking methamphetamine, conspiracy to traffic Fentanyl and conspiracy to traffic heroin on Nov. 23.

Additionally, Hall is charged with intimidating a witness on Nov. 23 for allegedly "knowingly and unlawfully using or threatening to use physical force" on a person "the defendant believed to be a participant in a legal process, in an attempt to influence (witness's) testimony," the indictment reads.

Hall is further charged with third-degree terroristic threatening for threatening to kill or cause serious physical injury to the witness.

Hall's bond was initially set at $25,000 fully secured. He was ordered to have no contact with the victim, no further violations and no drug or alcohol usage.

In another case, Justin R. Hunter, 34, of Kennesaw, GA, will face a jury on Mar. 4 on two indictments charging him with trafficking cocaine and endangering the lives of two police officers during a chase on Mar. 17, 2022.

Hunter's charges include first-degree fleeing and evading police, first-degree trafficking in controlled substance (cocaine), two counts of first-degree wanton endangerment of a police officer and second-degree criminal mischief. In the second case, he is charged with possession of a handgun by a convicted felon.

Both cases evolved from a Mar. 17, 2022 incident in which Hunter allegedly refused to stop for a Laurel County Sheriff's Deputy, then engaged in a chase with police. The indictment claims that Hunter attempted to hit two cruisers driven by a London Police Officers, causing damages to one of those.

The second charge involves Hunter's possession of a handgun — which was prohibited due to a prior felony conviction of aggravated robbery in Hamilton County, Ohio in 2008.