LETCHER COUNTY, Ky. (LEX 18) — A federal judge has denied motions to dismiss a civil rights lawsuit against a former Letcher County deputy who was convicted of sexually abusing women under his supervision during home incarceration.
The ruling allows key claims to proceed to trial against Ben Fields, who pleaded guilty to third-degree rape, third-degree sodomy, tampering with a prison monitoring device and second-degree perjury in connection with his supervision of women on home incarceration.
U.S. District Judge Robert Wier found that a jury should decide whether Fields coerced Sabrina Adkins into sexual contact while she was under his supervision from June 2021 through January 2022, the civil suit details.
"A reasonable jury could find that Adkins did not consent to the sexual contact with Fields based on the coercive factors present," Wier wrote in his Sept. 19 ruling.
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The evidence allegedly shows Fields told Adkins he could "work something out" regarding her ankle monitor fees after she expressed concerns about affording them, the suit reads. Fields admitted in his guilty plea that he allowed Adkins to go without her ankle monitor in exchange for sexual favors and would remove it after court appearances.
"Adkins understood Fields's comments to imply that she would receive preferential treatment from Fields in exchange for sexual favors," according to court documents.
Adkins testified she engaged in sexual activity with Fields because it "was the only way that [she] thought that [she] would be okay on house arrest without paying," the documents stated. She said she felt "scared" and "terrified" because she could have been returned to jail if she didn't comply.
The court also allowed claims to proceed against the Letcher County Sheriff's Office, finding evidence that former Sheriff Mickey Stines failed to properly train deputies on sexual misconduct policies despite recognizing it as a "high risk critical task."
According to the documents, Stines had recommended Fields for the home monitoring position with Eastern Kentucky Correctional Services while Fields was also working as a court security officer. The judge noted this created "blurred boundaries" between Fields's law enforcement duties and his supervision of people on home incarceration.
However, the court dismissed all claims brought by the estate of another alleged victim, finding they were filed after the statute of limitations expired. The victim died in 2023, and the court noted there was no admissible evidence to support her claims at trial, the documents noted.
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The ruling comes amid ongoing criminal proceedings against Stines, who is accused of fatally shooting District Judge Kevin Mullins in September 2024. The alleged sexual encounters between Fields and the women occurred in Mullins's courthouse chambers.
Fields worked for Eastern Kentucky Correctional Services overseeing ankle monitoring for home incarceration while simultaneously serving as a court security officer for the Letcher County Sheriff's Office, the documents explained. The lawsuit alleges this dual role gave him excessive power over vulnerable individuals.
The case is scheduled to proceed to trial in early 2026, with the parties required to file a status report by Oct. 6 regarding trial length and availability.
