BOONE COUNTY, Ky. — A Gallatin County sheriff's deputy faces multiple felony charges after a woman reported he used his position as a law enforcement officer to stalk and sexually abuse her, according to the Boone County Sheriff's Office.
Jason Walker, a deputy with the Gallatin County Sheriff's Office, was arrested and booked into the Boone County Detention Center on a $100,000 bond following an investigation by the Boone County Sheriff's Office.
Walker faces the following charges:
- 3 counts of first-degree sexual abuse
- 1 count of third-degree sexual abuse
- 1 count of first-degree stalking
- 1 count of tampering with physical evidence
- 1 count of first-degree official misconduct.
The Boone County Sheriff's Office opened the investigation on Aug. 26, after the Gallatin County sheriff requested outside assistance.
WATCH: Boone County Sheriff's Office details stalking, sexual abuse allegations against Gallatin County deputy
"Sheriff Webster immediately recognized the importance of separating himself and his department from this investigation and called our sheriff, Sheriff Hill," Lieutenant Anthony Theetge with Boone County Sheriff's Office told WCPO 9 News Friday.
According to the Boone County Sheriff's Office, a woman had contacted the sheriff with a complaint against Walker, who then referred the matter to Boone County investigators.
The sheriff's office said that Walker first contacted the woman between May and August of 2026 under the pretense of following up on a domestic violence case he had assisted with.
"They did [then] become consensually flirtatious, even by her own admission. However, it came to light that Deputy Walker was married," Theetge said. "At that time, the female attempted to cease all conversations, realizing this was inappropriate to be doing."
When the woman asked Walker to stop contacting her, he continued reaching out and was found to be following her and watching her at various locations around Gallatin County.
Investigators say Walker also used a law enforcement database to obtain additional personal identifying information about the woman and made her aware he had access to that information and other capabilities.
"In our experience, when you get this, and you let people know that you have this information, it's more of a power dynamic," Theetge said. "It's letting that person know, quote unquote, what I'm capable of. I can get this information if I want it. And that is obviously a contradiction to the oath that we take as law enforcement officers."
According to the Boone County Sheriff's Office, on one occasion, the woman agreed to meet Walker at a local gas station, where he reached inside her vehicle and touched her in a sexual manner despite her attempts to move away. On a separate occasion, Walker responded to the woman's home in an official capacity and forcibly touched her in a sexual manner while she tried to stop him and walk away.
According to investigators, Walker was on duty and in full uniform during both incidents.
Investigators say Walker allegedly attempted to conceal his communications and interactions with the woman by repeatedly deleting her from Snapchat and removing her number from his call log. He also disabled the GPS system on his department-issued vehicle to hide his location while stalking or meeting the woman.
Theetge told WCPO 9 News he hopes this incident doesn't skew the public's view of law enforcement.
"I think they should take away that you can still trust law enforcement. Are there bad law enforcement officers in this country? Absolutely. And nothing makes a good, trustworthy law enforcement officer more angry than a bad officer."
