FRANKFORT, Ky. (ABC36 NEWS NOW) – Attorney General Russell Coleman announced Friday that an Estill County jury delivered a guilty verdict in a decades-old sexual assault case involving a former Irvine pastor.
According to the Attorney General’s Special Prosecutions Unit, Samuel McKinney, 60, was convicted Wednesday on one count of first-degree rape involving a child under 12 years of age, a class A felony.
The victim reported the abuse occurred approximately once a month from May 1982 to December 1985, ending when she was around 11 years old. The woman, now 50, came forward in 2023 after discovering her abuser was serving as a pastor at a church in Irvine, according to the AG’s office. McKinney has since left his position at the church.
The jury recommended McKinney serve a 20-year sentence. Under Kentucky law, he must serve at least 85% of the sentence before becoming eligible for parole. He will also be required to register as a sex offender for life.
“In our Commonwealth, there is no statute of limitations for felony charges, which allowed this courageous woman to come forward and report her abuse after all these years,” stated Attorney General Coleman. “Her bravery was critical to putting this criminal behind bars, and we hope her example will encourage others in similar situations to come forward.”
McKinney’s sentencing is scheduled for June 3, 2025.
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