FRANKFORT, Ky. (LEX 18) — A Franklin Circuit Court judge ruled in favor of the family of Doug Harless Monday, granting a temporary restraining order that blocks the Kentucky State Police from transferring investigation records to the city of London before the family has a chance to review them.
Judge Thomas Wingate granted the motion after neither the London city attorney nor a KSP representative appeared in court for the hearing. Wingate said if no one from "the other side" is present, he'd assume they wouldn't mind his ruling.
Harless, a 63-year-old maintenance worker, father, and grandfather, was shot and killed on Dec. 23, 2024, when London Police Department officers executed a search warrant at the wrong address. Officers arrived at Harless' home at 511 Vanzant Road in Laurel County, intending to serve a warrant for a residence at 489 Vanzant Road. Despite clear address markings, officers forced entry and shot Harless five times, killing him in his own home. Harless had no relevant criminal history and was not a suspect in the underlying investigation.
As is policy, KSP has been handling the investigation into the shooting. However, the Harless family claims in a separate legal filing that KSP has not been forthcoming with its findings and has violated open records requests in the process.
The family has sought records from KSP since January 2025, including crime scene photos, police reports, the investigative file, body camera footage, 911 calls, the search warrant, and supporting affidavit. KSP withheld those records for over a year, citing an ongoing investigation.
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On Feb. 20, 2026 — the same day a grand jury declined to indict any officers — the family again requested the records. KSP still reportedly refused to comply, pushing its response deadline to mid-April with no justification.
Monday's motion sought to prevent KSP from turning over its investigation findings to the city of London before the family could review the documents, and also requested the immediate disclosure of those records.
A public relations firm working with the Harless family and their attorneys released a statement following the judge's ruling.
"Doug's family has been waiting over a year for the truth about how and why he was killed in his own home. Law enforcement has hidden behind the criminal investigation at every turn," Tad Thomas, representing the Harless family, said. "Doug's family has a legal right to these documents, and we will fight to make sure they get them. KSP's delays are not just a technicality. They are a denial of justice to a grieving family, and to the public."
The complaint alleges KSP violated the Kentucky Open Records Act by failing to issue a timely final determination on the family's requests and by improperly delaying production of records that are no longer subject to any investigative exemption.
"The Open Records Act is not optional. No public agency gets to decide when and whether to follow it, and we are asking the court to make that clear," Howard O. Mann, co-counsel for the Harless family, said. "This is about more than one family. When law enforcement can withhold records indefinitely with no consequence, no one can hold them accountable."
The family is seeking a preliminary injunction and a court order requiring the immediate disclosure of all records related to the investigation.
