Former Commonwealth’s Attorney Allen Trimble passes away

Former long-time Commonwealth’s Attorney and current Domestic Relations Commissioner Allen Trimble passed away late Friday/early Saturday at his home near Corbin.

Former Commonwealth’s Attorney Allen Trimble died late Friday/early Saturday at his home.

Trimble left office Dec. 31, 2018, after serving 31 years as the county’s head prosecutor, and was formally appointed as domestic relations commissioner for Whitley and McCreary counties in early January.

Trimble, who originally moved to Corbin in 1975 right after graduating from law school at the University of Kentucky, served as Commonwealth’s Attorney on a part-time basis from January 1988 until 2000, and went full-time thereafter. His district included Whitley and McCreary counties.

After the appointment of a second circuit judge in 2000, Trimble became a full-time prosecutor. He served four six-year terms in the position and one seven-year term before opting not to seek re-election in 2018 due to health issues.

During a reception in his honor this past November, Trimble said he first settled in the area after being hired to practice law alongside Forcht Group of Kentucky founder Terry Forcht.

Trimble said he worked for Forcht for nine years before the two parted ways amicably. He said the birth of his son, Graham, made it difficult to reconcile the things he wanted to do as a father with the demanding, prodigious work habits of Forcht.

“I never had one disagreement with Terry Forcht. He was always very fair to me,” Trimble said. “When you get out of law school, you don’t know how to practice law. I felt very lucky that I got to work alongside a principled, ethical attorney like Terry. He taught me a lot and I’m thankful for the opportunity he gave me. He’s the reason I call Corbin my home today.”

Trimble began a law practice with Corbin attorney Howard Mann, with whom he was partnered for 18 years, before moving his office to Williamsburg.

Trimble was twice been named as Kentucky’s Prosecutor of the Year — in 2008 and again in 2017.

Though most of his career was defined by his time as a prosecutor, Trimble said he was proud of his accomplishments in private practice too — most notably his efforts to expand the boundaries of the Corbin Independent School System to include the Tattersall Trails Estates subdivision.

Trimble is survived by his wife, Sherry, his son, Graham, his daughter-in-law, Marianne (Johnson) Trimble, and three granddaughters, Reagan Trimble, Samantha Trimble and Lauren Trimble.

So far no funeral arrangement have been announced.