Sexual abuse case dismissed after Corbin man dies days before trial

CORBIN, Ky. (WTVQ)- Five years after indictment, a man accused of sexual abuse has died three days before his May 9 scheduled jury trial, according to the Corbin News Journal.

The report says that John Sutherland, 74, of Corbin, faced a total of 24 counts of sexual abuse and sodomy dating back to 1980.

Most recently, Judge Michael Caperton held a pretrial conference on May 7 in the Knox County Circuit Court, which Sutherland was not present for. The court then learned that Sutherland passed away the day before. As a result, Sutherland’s case was dismissed without prejudice by the Commonwealth, with the trial date cancelled.

As of October 17, 2017, an evaluation done by the Kentucky Correctional Psychiatric Center (KCPC) says, “Defendant, John Sutherland, has the capacity to appreciate the nature and consequences of the proceeding against him and can participate rationally in his defense. The Defendant is competent. Wherefore, the Commonwealth maintains that the Defendant must stand trial.”

These tests and findings came after Sutherland’s court-appointed attorney, Kara Ottis, claimed that since the case began, her client’s health had significantly deteriorated, citing several strokes.

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Information in this article is attributed to the Corbin News Journal

The photo in this article is attributed to the Mountain Advocate in Barbourville