Knox County man pardoned for murder in 2019 arrested in Laurel County

A Knox County man convicted of a 2008 murder and pardoned by Governor Matt Bevin in 2019 was arrested in Laurel County Thursday night for allegedly threatening employees and customers at a business.

Laurel County Sheriff’s deputies charged Daniel S. Grubb, 36, of Gray, with second-degree disorderly conduct, third-degree terroristic threatening and menacing in connection with the incident at the unidentified business off of U.S. 25 in the Lily area.

Deputy Gilbert Acciardo, the department’s public affairs officer, said deputies were called to the scene at approximately 5:20 p.m. in response to a complaint that a man had entered the business wearing body armor and attempting to fight everyone.

Deputy Greg Poynter arrived on the scene and conducted an investigation.

According to Acciardo, Poynter located a loaded firearm in Grubb’s vehicle.

Grubb was lodged in the Laurel County Correctional Center.

Grubb had been convicted in 2010 in Knox County of murdering Jeremy Johnson of Woodbine.

In pardoning Grubb, Bevin, who was in the final days of his administration, noted that drugs, alcohol and a tragic accident resulted in the death of one friend at the hands of another.

“Daniel Grubb made a series of bad decisions that forever alter the lives of many people in a negative way,” Bevin stated in the pardon.

“No greater degree of justice or rehabilitation will be gained by extending Daniel Grubb’s time in prison. “There will, however be negative impacts of other, not the least of whom is Daniel’s son Chase,” he added.

Jackie Steele serves as Commonwealth’s Attorney for Knox and Laurel counties. As an assistant commonwealth’s attorney in 2010, Steele prosecuted the case against Grubb.

Steele said he was surprised by Mr. Bevin’s actions, not only in this case, but similar cases across the commonwealth, noting neither he, nor any other prosecutors involved in the respective cases were consulted.

“This is a travesty and injustice and just a slap in the face to the justice system,” Steele said.

“What the governor did here is bad, making these decisions without talking to the families,” he added.

Grubb had been charged with the murder in May 2009, days after Johnson’s remains were discovered buried in a remote area of Knox County.

Johnson had been missing since June 10, 2008.

He had reportedly last been seen in the parking lot of Angels and Wings Sports Bar off of U.S. 25E in Corbin that night.

Knox County Sheriff’s deputies located the car in an area on Ky. 459 in Barbourville a month later.

Kentucky State Police had been using shovels to search the area off of Gray–Helton Hollow Road in Gray when they discovered the remains.

Officials with the State Medical Examiner’s Officer were able to use medical records to positively identify the remains as Johnson.