Chasing Shadows in Kentucky

The Commonwealth Journal ^ | 07/08/2002 | CAROL COFFEY

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More specific details have emerged about the days leading up to the assassination of Pulaski County Sheriff Sam Catron in a story published in the July 6 edition of the Los Angeles Times.

Reporter Eric Slater, a Times staff writer, spent time in Somerset gathering information for a story titled “Chasing Shadows in Kentucky.” Slater reported that Jeff Morris, the candidate who was challenging Catron for the sheriff’s seat, was one of the faces in a crowd of 350 who were mingling at the Shopville-Stab Volunteer Fire Department on April 13 when the popular sheriff was gunned down. Catron was participating in a relaxed “candidates night,” as had become the tradition at the fire department’s annual fish fry.

Morris’ campaign manager and charged co-conspirator Ken White was supposed to be there as well. But Slater reported that White “got cold feet” and stayed away from the event.

Todd Dalton, Kentucky State Police lead investigator on the case, said he believed much of what was contained in Morris’ and Danny Shelley’s confessions, which were given to police shortly after the shooting. White, however, still maintains he knew nothing of the plot. Slater wrote that, according to law enforcement officials, the plan to kill Catron took root only one day before the killing took place.

The plan to murder Catron came forward when White was at the wheel of his silver Jeep Cherokee with Morris in the passenger seat and Shelley in the back. The three were putting up signs for Morris’ campaign. In the article, Slater wrote that White was “well known to local drug enforcement folks” as someone who was unemployed and received roughly $400 a month in disability payments because of heart problems and a crippled hand that left him nicknamed “Fingers.” “Yet he had come to serve not only as campaign manager but also as Morris’ primary financial backer,” Slater wrote.

Morris has filed only one campaign finance report for the election. He did not list White as a campaign contributor. But many people have speculated that White was the financial backer in Morris’ campaign. Slater goes on to write that law enforcement officers who follow the “local drug trade” maintained that White earned some of his money he spent in Morris’ campaign by being a drug dealer. White’s attorney, David Hoskins, says that White earned money by selling items at the flea market.

Dalton told Slater that the three were riding around in the Jeep talking about politics and the subject of killing Catron “just came up.”

He said the three believed that Catron was the front runner in a five-way race for the Republican nomination for sheriff and that Morris was second in the race.

However, Slater writes that, in reality, it looked more like Morris was dead last in the race. Morris was born and raised in Wayne County and relocated to Pulaski County only after he married. Morris also faced “almost unbeatable competitors” in the primary. Kay Stringer, who lost to Catron after the now infamous 1998 coin flip; Todd Wood, who after Catron’s death received the support of the Catron family; and Martin Calhoun, who Slater wrote was “better known” in Pulaski County than Morris, were all in the race.

By Friday, April 12, though, the plan to kill Catron had already taken hold with the three. The plan was, according to Slater through law enforcement officials, that Shelley would be the trigger man. He was a hunter, former Marine, a good shot and owner of several rifles.

Morris would lend him a 1985 Yamaha Virago motorcycle that Shelley would use to escape the scene. Morris and White would go to the fish fry, listen to the bluegrass band and politic. While the plan took only a day to form, the seeds for it were planted long ago.

It is widely known that Morris was a deputy under Catron for five years and left his job under less than favorable circumstances. Slater wrote that current Pulaski County Sheriff Jim McWhorter said in July 2001, Morris “took some time off that he shouldn’t have taken off,” and faced a written reprimand or a suspension of two to three days without pay.

Instead of facing either consequence, Morris quit. Slater goes on to report that White most likely had a two-fold motive for helping Morris. First was that he “needed the kind of protection only the highest ranking lawman in the county could provide” to continue in his drug dealing, Slater wrote. Second, Morris was credited with saving White’s brother’s life several years ago. The brother had a heart attack and Morris discovered him, called 911 and waited with him until paramedics arrived. Morris lived nearby at the time of the man’s heart attack.

Shelley, of course, maintains he was promised a job as a deputy sheriff if Morris was elected. Slater says Danny Shelley’s attorney Katie Wood acknowledged that Shelley was under investigation by the federal Drug Enforcement Administration for allegedly trafficking in OxyContin. Shelley has not been charged on the drug trafficking allegations.

On the day of the shooting, the three met early for breakfast at Bob Evans on South U.S. 27. After finishing breakfast, Shelley left his parents’ 1993 Ford truck in the parking and got into White’s Silver Jeep Cherokee. The trio drove to the Buyers Paradise Flea Market in Burnside and campaigned.

Early in the afternoon, police say Morris went home. Shelley and White went back to Bob Evans to get the truck. Slater wrote that Morris had allegedly gone home to get the motorcycle, but discovered that the bike’s battery was dead. Morris apparently jump started the motorcycle and he called White on a cell phone, telling him to meet at the Super Wal-Mart on U.S. 27. While at Wal-Mart, the three purchased a motorcycle battery and installed it. Shelley left his pickup truck there and drove off on the motorcycle.

A few hours later, Shelley, clad in camouflage, parked the motorcycle by the side of Ky. 80 in Shopville. He positioned himself in a grove of trees directly across from the Shopville-Stab fire station. While Shelley laid in wait, the fish fry was in full swing inside the fire station.

Catron was assisting in the auctioning of pies and cakes that was also a tradition at the department. He bought one cake but turned around and donated it back so the department could earn more money. He would eventually buy two more cakes during the auction. Catron was walking toward his brown Crown Vic, Slater wrote, parked some 20 feet away.

After placing one cake on top of the cruiser, a shot rang out that echoed throughout the metal walls of the fire station. Catron immediately fell to the ground. Within roughly a minute, Slater wrote, a motorcycle appeared on Ky. 80 and those at the department immediately suspected it was the shooter. If the driver went west, no one would have seen him because the view of the highway is blocked by a massive oak grove in which Shelley was allegedly hiding. Instead, he traveled east. Firefighters, deputies and others ran to their vehicles to chase the man they suspected of shooting Catron. The driver of the motorcycle turned off Ky. 80 onto Ky. 1675. The driver took one corner too fast and the bike slid out from underneath him.

Those who got to Shelley first, Slater wrote, maintain he began talking before he even got to the police station. He spoke of how difficult such a long range shot was, the plot and offered names of others involved. It didn’t take long for officials to determine that the motorcycle was registered to Morris. That night, shortly before Kentucky State Police officers conducted the first of many news conferences, the bike was taken to the state police post at London. Shelley was arrested on Saturday night. Morris took polygraph tests and apparently feared for his family’s safety. White and Morris were arrested on April 15. All three remain lodged at the Pulaski County Detention Center, being held without bond. Shelley has been charged with capitol murder. Morris and White have both been charged with complicity to commit Catron’s murder. All have entered not guilty pleas to those charges.

Story created Monday, July 08, 2002.