Kentucky county official charged with abusing public trust

JACKSON, Ky. (AP) — An elected official of a Kentucky county has once again been indicted on a charge of abusing public trust.

WYMT-TV reports Breathitt County Judge-Executive Jeff Noble also was indicted Wednesday on a charge of theft by unlawful taking. Court documents say Noble is accused of spending $986 in public funds to buy fuel for personal use. His lawyer, Derek Jorge Campbell, has said that Noble was traveling around the county and state in his official capacity.

In August, Noble was indicted on similar charges and accused of using $700 in public funds to buy lumber for personal use. His lawyer has said the lumber was for a publicly owned bridge on county property. Campbell said the initial indictment had political overtones.