UPDATE: Oct. 10 at 2 p.m.
Following his third DUI arrest, former Robertson County Sheriff Terry Gray has been indicted on charges of DUI-third offense, wanton endangerment, reckless driving, and first-degree official misconduct, LEX 18 confirmed with the Mason County Court.
UPDATE: Oct. 8 at 6 p.m.
Robertson County Sheriff Terry Gray is back in jail on his third DUI charge in two years, prompting the Kentucky Governor's Office to threaten his removal from office if he doesn't resign within five business days.
Sheriff Terry Gray was arrested Tuesday night by Mason County deputies who spotted him driving his sheriff's vehicle erratically on Kentucky Route 11 at speeds up to 110 mph with his lights and sirens activated. According to the arrest citation, Gray crossed the center line several times and almost overturned twice.
Gray was wearing his sheriff's uniform and carrying a firearm and handcuffs when he was arrested. Deputies said they found a small bottle of Fireball whiskey in his possession and that Gray told them he was "not that drunk."
Gray faces charges of DUI, first-degree wanton endangerment and official misconduct in addition to his latest arrest.
"We will be asking him to step down, we think it's the only right thing to do," Jerry Wagner, executive director with the Kentucky Sheriff's Association.
Wagner said the organization cannot remove Gray from office but believes the governor can if Gray won't resign.
The Governor's Office sent a letter to Gray at the Mason County Detention Center Tuesday, stating that if he doesn't resign within five days of receiving the letter, the governor will move forward with removal for neglect of duty, habitual drunkenness in office and gross immorality or misconduct in office amounting to neglect of duty.
State law allows the governor to remove sheriffs from office for neglect of duty, but it hasn't happened very often.
The only time in the history of the Commonwealth was in 1957, when Governor Happy Chandler removed the Perry County sheriff after he allegedly punched an attorney during a meeting in the judge's chambers.
Just last year, the governor threatened to begin removal proceedings against then-Letcher County Sheriff Mickey Stines, who is charged with the murder of Judget Kevin Mullins, but Stines resigned before the process began.
Gray was already on probation for two previous DUI convictions from 2023 and 2024. He entered an Alford plea to those charges, meaning he didn't admit guilt but acknowledged there could be enough evidence to convict him. Gray avoided jail time in those cases.
During his sentencing last October, the judge issued a warning to Gray.
"I certainly expect to not to see this again from you Sheriff Gray, Okay?" the judge said.
"Yes, your honor," Gray responded.
The 2023 DUI occurred near a school, while the 2024 incident involved Gray driving drunk on a tractor.
UPDATE: Oct. 8 at 9:30 a.m.
A filed citation provided additional information on Robertson County Sheriff Terry Gray after he was arrested and charged with a third DUI on Oct. 7, revealing that he lead deputies on a high-speed chase while allegedly intoxicated.
According to the citation, the incident began around 7:30 p.m. when a volunteer with the Fire Department reported seeing a white pickup truck traveling at "extremely high speeds with flashing blue lights" north on US 68.
A deputy contacted a Mason Co. sheriff, reporting uncertainty about whether Gray was pursuing someone in Mason County or being pursued by Kentucky State Police.
The citation detailed that the sheriff said he could hear sirens from his home and rushed to his vehicle. As he entered Helena Road, he observed a white pickup truck with lights and sirens activated traveling at an extremely high speed.
"As I pulled out of my driveway this vehicle almost struck my vehicle while maintaining an extremely high rate of speed," the sheriff wrote in the citation.
The deputy attempted to stop the vehicle as it continued east on Helena Road, crossing the center line multiple times, according to the citation. At one point, the vehicle nearly overturned into an embankment off the right shoulder.
The chase ended when Gray's vehicle crossed KY 11 and entered a private driveway, almost overturning again into a field before coming to rest.
When the sheriff detained Gray, he reportedly found him wearing a uniform with sheriff's insignia, carrying a firearm and handcuffs. The deputy immediately detected the odor of alcohol on Gray.
Gray told the deputy he had "lost" a vehicle that he was pursuing near the Robertson-Mason County line on US 68. He said he was "trying to find him" and "never saw him" after that point, but admitted to traveling speeds exceeding 110 mph while searching for the vehicle in Mason County, the citation read.
Gray declined field sobriety tests and a preliminary breath test. After his arrest, he was taken to Mason County Detention Center where he submitted to a breath test that showed a blood alcohol content of .226 - nearly three times the legal limit of .08, the citation revealed.
The deputy reportedly found a miniature bottle of Fireball whiskey in Gray's pocket during the arrest.
Gray was charged with operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol (third offense with aggravating circumstances), reckless driving, first-degree wanton endangerment, and first-degree official misconduct following the Oct. 7 incident.
Original Story:
Robertson County Sheriff Terry Gray is back in police custody, facing a third charge for driving under the influence of alcohol.
Gray was booked into the Mason County Detention Center on Tuesday evening. He faces other charges including reckless driving, first degree wanton endangerment, and first degree official misconduct.
According to previous reporting by LEX 18, Gray has faced charges in the past for driving under the influence in a marked cruiser as well as overturning a tractor while intoxicated.
In October 2024, Gray entered Alford pleas in both cases, and was probated for two years.
The arrest marks his third DUI charge in less than two years.
