MURRAY – The Murray woman and former Kentucky Court of Justice employee who is facing 23 counts of fraud, among other charges, in Calloway Circuit Court for allegedly embezzling more than $175,000 from an elderly woman for whom she provided in-home care was sanctioned to four days in jail for violating the conditions of her bond.
Circuit Court Judge, 42nd Judicial Circuit Andrea Moore, whose district covers both Calloway and Marshall counties, imposed the sanctions in a hearing held in Marshall County Tuesday, ordering 53-year-old Leslie Lockhart to report to the Calloway County Detention Center no later than 6 p.m., court records show, to serve as punishment for testing positive for alcohol consumption in June, a violation of her bond conditions. She must also pay for the screening test.
Lockhart, who spent decades working in the local legal field, most recently serving as a case manager for 42nd Judicial Circuit Family Court Judge Stephanie Perlow, was arrested in February and charged with 23 counts of second-degree forgery, theft by unlawful taking ($10,000 to $1 million) and knowingly abusing or neglecting an adult.
After her arrest, Lockhart’s bond was set at $20,000 cash. Within two days, the bond was posted. Upon her release, she was subject to standard bond conditions, such as no new arrests, appear in court as directed and refrain from using or possessing alcohol or drugs. In addition, she is forbidden from selling or transferring property of any kind without court approval.
The victim in this case was Perlow’s mother, Maria Judy. In 2023, Perlow hired Lockhart to be her mother’s part-time caregiver. After Judy passed away last December, Perlow discovered 20 forged checks totaling $177,768 and reported the theft to the Kentucky State Police. KSP’s investigation uncovered evidence of multiple fraudulent transfers from Judy’s investment and retirement accounts in addition to more forged checks.
There are notable discrepancies in the charging document the Kentucky State Police (KSP) filed in Calloway District Court and the filed in Calloway Circuit Court by special prosecutor Richie Kemp regarding the total amount Lockhart allegedly took from the victim’s accounts. KSP’s complaint warrant identified more than $250,000 in fraudulent transactions; however, the information prepared by Kemp after Lockhart waived her right to a preliminary hearing, thereby allowing the case to advance to circuit court, stated the total amount was $177,601.
She was arraigned in Calloway Circuit Court on April 21. Moore entered standard discovery orders, facilitating the exchange of evidence between the parties, and set the next hearing for June 16.
During that June hearing, Kemp requested Lockhart submit to a drug and alcohol screening. Moore obliged and ordered the defendant to submit a specimen within an hour. Lockhart’s specimen tested positive for alcohol. The screener noted on the test results that Lockhart “had 1 beer yesterday.” Kemp wasted no time and filed a motion to revoke and forfeit bond that afternoon, which was initially noticed for hearing on July 7.
While Lockhart’s case was on the docket that day, neither Lockhart nor her counsel, Hopkinsville-based Jason Holland, appeared. Kemp was present, and when the case was called, he informed the court that he did not anticipate Holland or Lockhart being present and asked to approach the bench. After conferring with the judge for nearly two minutes, he left the podium, and the next case was called. According to the clerk’s notes on the docket sheet, the hearing was continued to July 15 in Marshall County.
At Tuesday’s hearing, while Moore sanctioned Lockhart for violating her bond conditions, she held Kemp’s motion for forfeiture in abeyance and continued the matter to Aug. 18.
The criminal proceedings in Calloway Circuit Court are not Lockhart’s only legal concerns. On March 4, she and her husband filed for bankruptcy, and according to bankruptcy court documents, there are also discrepancies as to the total amount of money allegedly taken from Judy’s checking, retirement and investment accounts.
In April, Perlow, in her capacity as the executrix of the Estate of Maira Judy, filed an adversary proceeding against Lockhart and her husband, contesting the dischargeability of the debt owed to the estate under claims of fraud, embezzlement and willful and malicious injury. The complaint, filed by Murray attorney Jacob Caddas, claimed Lockhart owes Judy’s estate $286,768.
“Co-Debtor stole more than a quarter million dollars from the Estate of Maria Judy, without permission and without a right to the money,” the complaint stated. “[Lockhart] should not be permitted to discharge a debt which was the result of ‘fraud’, ‘embezzlement’, ‘false pretense’ or any other version of theft which the law might recognize.”
In an affidavit filed with the complaint, Perlow explained that, in addition to working as a case manager in her office, she also hired Lockhart to be an at-home caregiver for her mother, the victim, for a couple of hours in the evenings as well as on Sunday mornings, noting that Lockhart held “a place of trust” within her family.
According to Perlow, the alleged fraudulent transactions ranged in amounts from $4,839 to $30,000 per transaction, the affidavit stated, with the final transaction occurring approximately one-and-a-half hours after the victim passed away. After Perlow informed her of Judy’s death, Lockhart allegedly deposited a forged check in the amount of $4,400 into her personal bank account.
A pre-trial conference in the adversary proceeding is scheduled to be held telephonically on Tuesday, Aug. 12, at 8 a.m.
Lockhart is due back in Calloway Circuit Court on Monday, Aug. 18, at 8:30 a.m. for the final pre-trial conference in her criminal case.
Individuals charged with crimes are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
