Former Jessamine County prosecutor pleads guilty to taking cash to dismiss traffic ticket

JESSAMINE COUNTY, Ky. (LEX NEWS) — A former assistant Jessamine County attorney has pleaded guilty to charges stemming from allegations that he took $300 from someone in exchange for dismissing a traffic ticket.

Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman’s office announced Friday that Eric Wright, 46, pleaded guilty Thursday to one count of abuse of public trust, a Class D felony, and one count of first-degree official misconduct, a Class A misdemeanor.

According to the attorney general’s office, Wright was working as an assistant Jessamine County attorney when a person came to district court to pay a traffic ticket.

Prosecutors said Wright offered to dismiss the ticket in exchange for a $300 cash payment and later admitted to keeping the money.

As part of the guilty plea, the Commonwealth has recommended a two-year sentence. Wright’s Kentucky law license will also be suspended immediately, according to the attorney general’s office.

“Prosecutors are entrusted with immense authority to uphold our laws. A violation of that trust will not be tolerated in our Commonwealth,” Coleman said in announcing the plea.

The Nicholasville Police Department investigated the case. Deputy Attorney General Rob Duncan and Criminal Chief Rewa Zakharia prosecuted it on behalf of the Commonwealth.

Wright is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 21, 2027, at 9 a.m.

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