Judge dismisses several defendants from Amber Spradlin wrongful death lawsuit

FLOYD COUNTY, Ky. (LEX NEWS) — A judge has dismissed several local government officials and agencies from a wrongful death lawsuit connected to the 2023 killing of Amber Spradlin, while allowing claims against two former Prestonsburg officials to continue.

The summary judgment was entered Wednesday in Floyd Circuit Court as part of a lawsuit brought by the administrator of Spradlin’s estate. The lawsuit centers, in part, on emergency dispatch and law enforcement coverage in Floyd County around the time Spradlin was killed.

Special Judge John F. Vincent granted summary judgment in favor of Floyd County Judge-Executive Robbie Williams and fiscal court magistrates Mark D. Crider and George Ousley. The judge found that the claims against them were barred by legislative and qualified immunity and that the record did not support a finding that the officials owed or breached a duty to Spradlin.

The court also granted summary judgment to the City of Prestonsburg and Prestonsburg Police Department.

Official-capacity claims against former Prestonsburg Police Chief Randy Woods and former Prestonsburg Mayor Les Stapleton were also dismissed. However, claims against Woods and Stapleton in their individual capacities remain.

The ruling does not end the wrongful death lawsuit.

In his ruling, Vincent found that decisions over how Prestonsburg planned, staffed and operated the 911 system involved discretionary government decision-making rather than a mandatory duty. The court also found that fiscal court members were protected by legislative immunity for their vote involving the dispatch arrangement.

WATCH: Suspects in Amber Spradlin case indicted on additional tampering charge

Years of questions surrounding 911 response

LEX 18 News has followed questions surrounding the emergency response since shortly after Spradlin’s death.

Spradlin, 38, was found dead June 18, 2023, inside the Floyd County home of Prestonsburg dentist Michael McKinney II.

In June 2023, LEX 18 News reported that Spradlin’s family was questioning why law enforcement did not respond to a 911 call made from the home before Spradlin was found.

Two months later, Spradlin’s cousin, Dr. Debbie Hall, told LEX 18 News that she had listened to the call. Hall said the call did not concern Spradlin, but another person inside the home who was reportedly bleeding. Hall questioned whether a law enforcement response could have changed what happened.

Those questions later became part of the civil lawsuit.

Filed in 2024, the lawsuit alleged local officials breached duties associated with emergency response after Floyd County moved its 911 dispatch services from Kentucky State Police to the Prestonsburg 911 center roughly six months before Spradlin’s death.

Attorneys for Spradlin’s estate argued local officials had been warned about gaps in around-the-clock law enforcement coverage.

In January, LEX 18 Investigates reported that the government defendants were seeking dismissal based on governmental immunity. The estate’s attorneys argued local leaders knew the Floyd County Sheriff’s Office did not have the funding or staffing necessary to respond to overnight calls.

Williams disputed allegations that political considerations affected funding and said the county had not previously had around-the-clock law enforcement coverage even when Kentucky State Police handled dispatching.

Separate criminal case continues

The wrongful death lawsuit is separate from the criminal case surrounding Spradlin’s death.

Michael “MK” McKinney III is charged with murder and evidence tampering. Michael McKinney II and Josh Mullins face multiple counts of complicity to tampering with physical evidence. All three previously pleaded not guilty.

When the three were arraigned in July 2024, prosecutors alleged MK McKinney killed Spradlin and that evidence was later removed or destroyed, including clothing, a security camera, a hard drive and a knife handle.

The criminal case has experienced delays as additional forensic evidence has been tested. In October 2025, LEX 18 News reported that testing found presumptive blood on several items, prompting additional DNA analysis.

Wednesday’s ruling applies only to the civil wrongful death lawsuit and does not determine guilt or innocence in the separate criminal case.

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