FRANKFORT, Ky. (LEX News) — With 64 days until Election Day, the race for central Kentucky's open congressional seat is intensifying as both candidates go on offense.
Republican Dr. Ralph Alvarado accepted an endorsement from the Kentucky Fraternal Order of Police on Monday. He used the moment to attack Democrat Zach Dembo over his record as a former federal prosecutor.
Alvarado argued that some police officers in Kentucky have concerns about how Dembo prosecuted some cases involving law enforcement.
"They believe officers were targeted, who did not deserve to be targeted. They believe that in some cases, the enormous power of the federal government was used in a way that went way beyond legitimate law enforcement," Alvarado said.
Alvarado and his campaign directed reporters to former state trooper Derrek Lovett, who stood in the back of the room during Alvarado's speech on Monday.
Lovett told reporters he was federally indicted after a suspect accused of allegedly burning his home down tried to run away and fight police. According to an August 2022 press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, Lovett was accused of acting "under color of law, assault[ing] a victim without legitimate law enforcement justification and that this assault resulted in bodily injury." The release also says Lovett "conspired to conceal the true nature of the force."
Lovett says he was eventually acquitted by a federal jury. On Monday, he told reporters why police officers used force in the situation that led to his indictment.
"We ultimately had use some force because he attempted to flee and evade arrest, fought another trooper, and during that fight, I had to assist in effecting that arrest," Lovett told reporters about the incident that led to his indictment.
Lovett accused Dembo, the federal prosecutor on the case, of not hearing his side of the story.
"I never got a fair opportunity to give him my side of the story - to tell him what happened - and he didn't care," Lovett said.
Dembo's campaign manager, Olivia Dupree, responded to the accusation in a statement, highlighting the steps that had to be taken to indict Lovett.
"In this case, a grand jury found that a man was beaten aggressively to the point of having his face broken in, a judge agreed there was sufficient evidence to take this to court, and Zach does not think anyone is above the law."
Dupree also points out that "as a federal prosecutor, Zach worked closely with Kentucky police and law enforcement to put criminals behind bars, including drug traffickers, kidnappers, and rapists, and took on corruption wherever he found it."
Dembo has also fired opening shots at Alvarado within the last week. Last Tuesday, he tied the rollout of his anti-corruption platform to Alvarado's record in the Kentucky senate.
"Whenever he has power, he used it to benefit himself and his party," Dembo said.
Dembo accused Alvarado of passing bills to protect the nursing home industry from personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits, at a time when Alvarado worked as the medical director for central Kentucky nursing homes with reported quality problems.
"Alvarado passed the bill designed to benefit his own financial interests. That should never be allowed for any public servant," Dembo said.
Dembo called Alvarado's actions "corrupt."
The Kentucky Supreme Court struck down Alvarado's bill that required medical malpractice claims to be reviewed by a panel before heading to court.
