Laurel Co. man dies during attempt to serve search warrant at wrong address
LAUREL COUNTY, Ky. (WKYT) – Further details have emerged regarding a man that was shot by authorities during an attempt to serve a search warrant in Laurel County late last month.
WKYT reports the Kentucky State Police has stated Douglas Harless was fatally shot by a London police officer during an attempt to serve a search warrant on the evening of Dec. 23.
They say it happened at Harless’ home at 511 Vanzant Road in Lily.
However, dispatch audio says police were attempting to serve a warrant at 489 Vanzant.
According to WKYT, court records say the warrant was connected to an investigation regarding stolen lawn equipment.
They say Hobert Buttery is accused in the theft of a weed eater that property public records show is owned by the Lauren County judge executive.
Buttery was arrested just hours before Harless was killed, according to WKYT, with Buttery’s citation stating he told police the weed eater was at a home in Lily.
WKYT says it visited the Laurel County Correctional Center to get Buttery’s side of the story.
“I told them on Vanzant Road there was a weed eater there, and they took it to where they wanted to go with that,” Buttery says.
He says he used to live down the road from Harless at 515 Vanzant, but he hasn’t lived there in close to a year.
Butter says that “they went to the wrong address.”
He also says he got to know Harless while living there, and that he was a good man who didn’t deserve what happened to him.
Butter says, “I am sorry for what happened to that man. I really am. It was never supposed to happen like that.” Cause if I’d have known anything like that, I never would’ve bothered with a weed eater, and that’s all it was was a weed eater.”
RELATED: State police investigating officer-involved shooting in Laurel County
