Whitley Co. Grand Jury will hear Nighbert case

A case involving Williamsburg Police Officer Brad Nighbert, who tested positive for having cocaine in his system three hours after a serious crash in April, will be heading to the grand jury.
“I’ve looked at the case. There needs to be further investigation. After the completion of the investigation, regardless of what it shows, I am going to present the evidence to a grand jury, and let them make a decision as to what, if anything, should be done,” Special prosecutor Thomas Smith said Tuesday afternoon.
Smith, an assistant commonwealth’s attorney for Madison and Clark County, said he doesn’t know when the case will be presented to the grand jury because he isn’t sure how much longer the investigation will take.
Williamsburg Police Chief Denny Shelley said Tuesday afternoon that he has wrapped up his internal investigation.
“The investigation is completed, and we are deciding on what action we need to take,” Shelley said adding he hopes to make a decision within a week.
Nighbert’s official employment status with the city remains unchanged, Shelley confirmed Tuesday afternoon.
Since the accident, Nighbert has remained employed by the Williamsburg Police Department, but is off on medical leave drawing workman’s compensation from injuries he suffered during the accident.
On April 12, Nighbert was on duty and traveling southbound on US25W near Cumberland Regional Mall when he struck a minivan driven by Connie Jackson of Ky. 92E about 10:33 p.m.
Nighbert was pinned inside the vehicle as a result of the collision, and had to be extricated. He was airlifted from the scene, and flown to the University of Kentucky Medical Center where he underwent a four-hour surgery to repair his leg.
A toxicology analysis report of Nighbert’s blood, which was taken at 1:30 a.m. on April 13 at the University of Kentucky Medical Center, showed that he had 0.001 milligrams of cocaine in his system, and 0.007 milligrams of Oxycodone.
Trooper Greg Hill, the accident reconstructionist investigating the accident, appeared before the Whitley County Grand Jury in July for 10 minutes to obtain grand jury subpoenas for both Nighbert and Jackson’s medical records.
Nighbert is the son of Kentucky Transportation Secretary Bill Nighbert, who is a former Williamsburg Mayor.