FRANKFORT, KY – Attorney General Russell Coleman announced Wednesday the Office of the Solicitor General appealed the Fayette County Circuit Court’s unlawfully lenient sentence in a fentanyl trafficking case. By failing to apply clear law, the Circuit Court’s sentence violated the separation of powers and threatened the community’s safety.
In October 2023, Domonick Jones pleaded guilty to a Class C felony charge for trafficking fentanyl. The Kentucky State Police found Jones with roughly 75 grams of fentanyl—enough to kill approximately 37,500 people—along with other drugs.
Kentucky law clearly states defendants convicted of this charge must be sentenced to prison. However, the Fayette Circuit Court granted Jones probation. Attorney General Coleman appealed the unlawful sentence to the Kentucky Court of Appeals.
“Fentanyl is an urgent threat that is poisoning our communities. Our lawmakers have made clear that fentanyl traffickers—especially in such devastating quantities—must serve time behind bars,” said Attorney General Coleman. “We are asking the Court of Appeals to apply the law, protect our communities and reverse this unlawful sentence.”
The case was originally prosecuted by the Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney for the 22nd Judicial Circuit Kimberly Baird. The Attorney General and the Commonwealth’s Attorney are collaborating on the appeal.
“The law is clear: those convicted of trafficking fentanyl in Kentucky and endangering the lives of its citizens by selling fentanyl to them are to be sentenced to prison,” said Commonwealth’s Attorney Baird. “I’m glad to join Attorney General Coleman in seeking to uphold the law and seek the appropriate punishment for this defendant.”
The Kentucky State Police investigated the case. Assistant Solicitor General J. Grant Burdette in the Attorney General’s Office prepared the Commonwealth’s brief.
August 21 is National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day, an annual opportunity to raise awareness about the dangers of fentanyl and to promote strategies to prevent abuse.
