Attorney General designates Special Commonwealth’s Attorney for Perry County

FRANKFORT, Ky. (ABC36 NEWS NOW) – Jackie Steele will temporarily serve as Special  Commonwealth’s Attorney for the 33rd Judicial Circuit in Hazard, after former prosecutor Scott Blair resigned and was arrested. Steele currently is the Commonwealth’s Attorney for the 27th Circuit in London.

Blair, 51, was charged with committing honest services wire fraud, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Kentucky.

Blair’s criminal complaint alleges that, “from April 2020 to March 2024, while serving as the elected Commonwealth’s Attorney for Perry County, Blair used his position of public trust and authority to assist various individuals who were facing criminal charges in Perry County. The complaint further alleges there are numerous instances in which Blair requested something of value, including sexual favors and methamphetamine, from multiple individuals, in exchange for taking actions in his official capacity to help those individuals.”

Steele will be supported by two Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorneys, a victim advocate and an administrative assistant, said a release from Attorney General Russell Coleman.

Coleman said, “Jackie Steele has an extraordinary reputation in this region and throughout the law enforcement community. I’m grateful he has agreed to step into this critical role. The people of Perry County should rest assured that there will be no disruptions during this transition, and they have a full team of felony prosecutors upholding the rule of law and keeping them safe.”

Steele has served as a Commonwealth’s Attorney since 2008.