Man sentenced for threatening Laurel, Knox Co. commonwealth attorney

LAUREL, KNOX COUNTIES, Ky. – A Lexington man is facing several years in prison after officials say he threatened a commonwealth attorney.

That’s according to a report by K105, which stated that 41-year-old Christopher Rhodes of Lexington “was sentenced to 42 months in prison after agreeing to a plea deal.”

Rhodes is charged with intestate communication of a threat.

According to K105, Rhodes’ plea agreement states that on May 22, 2025, Rhodes “used his Google account to send an email to Laurel and Knox counties’ commonwealth’s attorney Jackie Steele.”

“Rhodes intended the email as a threat and specifically indicated that Steele needed curtains in his residence and made references to his wife and children and that he should fear for the safety of his family. This message was sent as part of a series of emails that spanned multiple weeks that expressed Rhodes’ anger with Steele based on Steele’s service as commonwealth attorney,” according to prosecutors.

Under federal law, K105 states Rhodes must serve 85% of his prison sentence. Upon his release from prison, Rhodes will be supervised by the U.S. Probation Office for three years.