UPDATE: Sept. 12 at 3 p.m.
The Scott County clerk's office confirmed to LEX 18 that Chesney Taylor and Christian Barnett, the couple accused of animal torture, have been indicted by a grand jury.
The indictments, filed Sept. 11 in Scott Circuit Court, alleged that the incidents occurred on or about Feb. 12, 2025, in Scott County.
According to court documents, Taylor is accused of intentionally torturing a dog without legal justification. Barnett is charged with complicity, meaning prosecutors allege he aided, counseled or attempted to aid in planning or committing the offense.
"He with the intention of promoting or facilitating the commission of the offense, he aided, counseled, or attempted to aid such person in planning or committing the offense of Torturing a Dog or Cat," the indictment against Barnett stated.
Both defendants have been released on $5,000 unsecured bail and are scheduled to appear in court Oct. 3 at 9 a.m.
Under Kentucky law, torture of a dog or cat is defined as intentionally causing physical injury or death to a domestic animal through cruel mistreatment. Class D felonies in Kentucky carry potential sentences of one to five years in prison.
Their arraignment is set for Oct. 3, the documents report.
UPDATE: Feb. 24 at 1 p.m.
On Monday, the attorney of Chesney Taylor and Christian Barnett entered a not guilty plea on their behalf during an arraignment in Harrison County after they were charged with falsely reporting an incident to law enforcement, a misdemeanor.
In court their attorney Zachary Buckler also waived formal arraignment.
LEX 18 spoke with Buckler at the court house following the arraignment.
"Obviously, these two individuals have a constitutional right a presumption of innocence so we're maintaining that at this time and they're won't be any comments provided at this time," Buckler said.
Next month, the couple will be arraigned in Scott County after the County Attorney's Office upgraded the couple's original misdemeanor second-degree animal cruelty charge to torture of an animal, a Class D Felony.
Original Story:
We have new information on a dog cruelty investigation that began in Harrison County.
Chesney Taylor and Christian Barnett, the dog's previous owners, have been charged with torture of an animal, a Class D felony.
Since January, we have been reporting on the heartbreaking story of Phoenix, a severely emaciated dog who animal shelter leaders say died from starvation.
His former owners claimed they found him in the cold on the side of a Harrison County road.
Taylor and Barnett were originally charged with second-degree cruelty to animals, a misdemeanor. However, on Sunday, both were arrested, and their charges were upgraded to torture of a dog or cat, a Class D felony.
Jeff Callaway, a key figure behind the passing of Ethan's Law in Kentucky, commented on the case. "This is not a one-time occurrence. This happened repeatedly. This dog suffered, make no mistake about it," he said.
Ethan's Law makes it a felony to torture a dog or cat. Ethan, the dog after whom the law is named, survived a similar ordeal.
Callaway is among many who contacted the Scott County Attorney's Office, urging them to upgrade the charges against the couple.
"He's done his due diligence, and the charges have been increased as we believe they should, given the new evidence that has come to light," Callaway noted.
Under Ethan's Law, the crime carries a penalty of one to five years in jail if found guilty. "Our job now is to make sure that dogs like Phoenix get their stories told and that Phoenix's name gets out there," said Callaway. "People need to know his story should not die with him in that shelter. He was abused and tortured, and someone needs to be held responsible for that."
Taylor and Barnett remain booked in the Bourbon County Jail.
