Franklin County jury awards $900,000 to three KSP whistleblowers

Jury votes 10-2 in favor of three troopers

FRANKLIN COUNTY, Ky. (WTVQ) – A Franklin County Circuit Court civil jury awarded three state troopers a total of $900,000 in damages for the way they were treated by the KSP after reporting suspected theft of evidence at the Elizabethtown Post.

According to court records, the jury vote was 10-2 in favor of the verdict, which awarded $500,000 to Sgt. Kevin Burton, who has retired from the KSP, and $200,000 each to Sgt. Mike Garyantes and Lt. Chad Taylor. Both Garyantes and Taylor remain with the KSP although they currently are on active duty with the U.S. Army although they have said in other media reports they may not return to the KSP.

The lawsuit was relatively small — the trio reported their concerns over the theft of four pairs of Eddie Bauer tennis shoes and some lip balm — from the evidence room by another sergeant, who gave some of the items to relatives at the post who were higher-ranking troopers, according to court records. In the original lawsuit, filed in December 2019 and during the six-day trial, the three said they were threatened with transfers and other treatment. They also reported a state-owned tractor at a trooper’s farm.

The judgement has not been finalized because attorneys’ fees must be worked out, according to court records. The KSP can appeal the verdict.

In a statement to the Courier-Journal newspaper, KSP Public Affairs Trooper Matt Sudduth said: “While we greatly respect the legal process, we are disappointed by and strongly disagree with the jury’s award in this case, which involves alleged conduct in 2019 prior to the current administration…KSP is determining its next steps in the case, including the possibility of an appeal.”