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 FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) - Gov. Ernie Fletcher, criminally charged with rewarding political supporters with protected state jobs, cannot be tried while in office, a judge said Friday as he rejected the governor's motion to throw out the charges.
Special Judge David E. Melcher's ruling creates a legal limbo for Kentucky's first Republican governor in three decades as he seeks a second term next year. Fletcher can't be convicted, but he can't clear his name, either.
"It just creates a continuing cloud," said Jack Richardson, chairman of the Jefferson County Republican Party. "You're running for re-election as an indicted governor, and the charges are still there."
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