Director’s DUI court date set

State police pulled Lunsford over May 14

By Lauren Hallow Published:

A court date has been set for a division director with the Finance and Administration Cabinet charged in May for driving under the influence of drugs.

Jerry Lunsford, 58, is scheduled to appear in Franklin District Court Sept. 20 on charges of driving under the influence, disregarding a traffic control device, reckless driving and license not in possession.

Lunsford was pulled over in his Kia Sportage May 14 by Kentucky State Police. According to the arrest citation, he stopped a car’s length past the stop line at a red light at the Schenkel Lane and Versailles Road intersection and nearly swerved into a state trooper after the light turned green.

Lunsford had slurred speech and swayed on his feet during field sobriety tests, the citation says. He told police he was tired and taking oxycodone, a painkiller, because he broke his ribs earlier that morning.

Police searched his Sportage and found prescription pill bottles containing oxycodone, tramadol (another painkiller), and lorazepam (an anti-anxiety drug) in the vehicle’s center console.

Lunsford, a business partner of former Lt. Gov. Daniel Mongiardo, earns $75,000 per year as the division director of building services at the Finance and Administration Cabinet.

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  • Word is that the prescription drugs were his properly prescribed medicines...why does the SJ not say this? He obviously was DUI, but there seem to be extenuating circumstances, In law, extenuating circumstances in criminal cases are unusual or extreme facts leading up to or attending the commission of the offense which, though an offense has been committed without legal justification or excuse, mitigate or reduce its gravity from the point of view of punishment or moral opprobrium.

  • I've seen him on the Kentucky river with slurred speech. I think it had something to do with the can he had in his hand that day.

  • I would have to argue as long as I have known Jerry he couldn't walk right and he always had slurred speech. I would think he would also have sleep apnea, which also causes the above mentioned!

  • Steve_Fry

    Admit guilt? Puh-leeze.

  • Mr. Lunsford, I hope you will acknowledge you were driving under the influence of pain killers, and not behave like you are "above the law" like some others I've seen...Richie Farmer comes to mind.