Barren County sheriff, Glasgow police chief issue statements regarding online post

BARREN COUNTY, Ky. – Barren County sheriff Kent Keen and Glasgow police chief Guy Howie have issued statements regarding a recent social media post in circulation.

The statement by Keen includes the following:

“This is Kent Keen, Barren County sheriff. I normally do not respond to social media posts; however, a recent post has been circulated that is so outlandish and critical of local law enforcement that I see the need to state the facts of the incident.”

“Mr. Royce Bunch has recently posted on social media that a friend of his was stopped by one of my deputies for speeding. The post  continues to remark that the officer was disrespectful to the driver of the speeding vehicle. Mr. Bunch’s depiction of the situation was that the officer was disrespectful to the driver because he was a veteran and would not give him a break for his speeding violation. The post quotes the driver saying, ‘Can you give me a break? I’m a veteran.’ The post also lists the response of the law enforcement officer as a reply to that statement. ‘Well, I am not, so it does not mean anything to me.’

“I have spent several hours researching the incident to discover the following. The details of this incident have been fabricated. The law enforcement officer who made the traffic stop is not employed by the Barren County Sheriff’s Office; however, I am compelled to defend the fellow officer because of the following details. The officer who made the traffic stop is a retired veteran, who served in the Marine Corp. and the United States Navy. The officer did not and would not make derogatory statements about veterans for two reasons; first, his professionalism and secondly, he is also a veteran.

“I have spoken to the city police chief and obtained the body camera footage of the traffic stop which occurred on June 5, 2025. The body camera footage is very clear that none of the allegations Mr. Bunch listed occurred. It is disappointing that this kind of third party criticism has come to our community.”

In addition, Howie has stated the following:

“The Glasgow Police Department takes complaints against police officers very seriously. One of the police department’s values is respect. On Sunday, Aug. 24, Barren County sheriff Kent Keen received a complaint from a citizen implying one of his deputies stopped a vehicle for a traffic violation, and the officer was disrespectful. Sheriff Keen quickly realized this complaint was intended for Glasgow police, and he forwarded it to Glasgow police chief Guy Howie.”

The statement then repeats the complaint submitted to sheriff Keen.

Howie further states, “Given this information and concern a citizen was allegedly disrespected by a Glasgow police officer, chief Howie reviewed the body cam footage. That review showed none of the above was remotely true other than there was a traffic stop for 20 mph over the posted speed limit. Neither the driver nor the officer mentioned being a veteran. In fact, the officer is a veteran with four overseas deployments.”

“Before either chief Howie or sheriff Keen could respond to the allegation, this same citizen, who was not anywhere near the site of the incident, posted the complaint to a social media site, which caused questions about the actions of the police officers.

“Therefore, in the interest of transparency and public trust, to address the concern that it has raised, chief Howie will allow the public to view the body cam footage Wednesday, August 27, 2025 at 1:30 p.m. at the Glasgow Police Department training room.

“Local law enforcement officers are committed to transparency, accountability and respect for all members of our community. We appreciate the public’s support and understanding as we continue to uphold the highest standards of professionalism.”

News 40 will provide any further details regarding this incident as they are released.