Judge orders 45 more days of exams in threat case

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — A judge has ordered a Richmond man charged with threatening U.S. Rep. Andy Barr held for up to 45 more days for psychiatric testing.

U.S. District Judge Joseph M. Hood issued the order Thursday in the case of 40-year-old Russell Little. Along with threatening Barr, prosecutors say, Little also spoke of wanting to kill former congressman Ben Chandler.

The FBI says Little, who has pleaded not guilty, repeatedly phoned Barr’s Lexington office and made "both explicit and direct" threats.

Barr, a Republican, defeated Chandler, a Democrat, in 2013 for the central Kentucky seat.

State police seized a loaded .38-caliber pistol from his car.

In October, Hood canceled a trial date for Little and ordered him to undergo a psychiatric exam.

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