MURRAY – The Murray man now known across the nation “Cowboy Cody” was back in Calloway District Court this morning. Jonathan “Cody” Mason, who was arraigned last week on charges stemming from his alleged release of a raccoon in a local bar, appeared for his preliminary hearing in that case.
As he suggested during last week’s arraignment, Calloway District Judge Randall Hutchens agreed to amend Mason’s bond from $5,000 cash to 10% ($500) partially secured, which was posted after the hearing; however, among other conditions of his release, Mason will remain on house arrest until he can begin inpatient substance abuse treatment.
The Sentinel was there (via Zoom because recordings and photography are not allowed in Calloway District Court), and we have all the details of today’s proceedings. Check back for our full write-up.
Calloway District Judge Randall Hutchens did not mince words as he laid out Mason’s amended bond conditions. (Zoom screenshot by The Murray Sentinel)
FRANKFORT, Ky. – Attorney General Russell Coleman released the following statement today after the U.S. Supreme Court upheld Tennessee’s law protecting children from experimental sex-change procedures. The Court’s 6-3 ruling in United States v. Skrmetti also upholds Kentucky’s SB 150.
“As parents and public officials, we have a responsibility to protect our children from harm. That’s exactly what Kentucky’s General Assembly did with the passage of SB 150, creating a commonsense measure to safeguard minors from life-altering medical procedures.
“Our Office has fulfilled its duty to defend statutes passed by the General Assembly. Along with our colleague, Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti, and other attorneys general across the country, we have finally upheld the law that will protect our young people from irreparable damage.”
Background:
General Coleman led a 22-state coalition with Arkansas and Indiana to file a brief with the U.S. Supreme Court supporting Tennessee in the case.
Kentucky’s General Assembly passed Senate Bill 150 during the 2023 Regular Session. The bill protects children from the permanent harm of so-called “gender transition” surgeries and experimental chemical treatments like puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones. The General Assembly overrode the Governor’s veto.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit upheld SB 150 in September 2023 in a combined decision also upholding Tennessee’s law. The U.S. Supreme Court granted review in only Tennessee’s case, but its reasoning applies fully to Kentucky’s SB 150.
MURRAY – An officer-involved shooting occurred outside of an apartment on Brooklyn Drive just before midnight last night after a man wielding a knife allegedly charged at Murray Police Department (MPD) officers who were responding to a 911 call about an “out-of-control” male at the residence, according to press releases from MPD and the Kentucky State Police (KSP).
In the original release about the incident, MPD reported that officers responded to Brooklyn Drive at approximately 11:45 p.m. The caller advised the man was armed with a knife. When they arrived, officers learned that the subject was alone inside an apartment, but before they could make contact with him, the subject came out of the apartment and allegedly charged at the officers, armed with a knife. One officer discharged his weapon in response and struck the man.
The suspect was then taken into custody and transported to the Murray-Calloway County Hospital, where he received treatment for injuries, the release stated. Per MPD’s established policies and procedures, KSP was requested to respond to the scene to conduct an independent investigation into the officer-involved shooting. MPD detectives are conducting a separate criminal investigation into the suspect’s actions. Further information will be released when it is available.
At 11:50 a.m., MPD sent out an updated press release. It stated that the agency’s detectives obtained an arrest warrant for 23-year-old Eric Saxton on charges of attempted murder of a first responder, first-degree possession of controlled substances (methamphetamine) and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Saxton was arrested by law enforcement officers in Tennessee after being released from a medical facility, according to the release, which noted that he will be lodged in a Tennessee jail, pending extradition proceedings to return him to the Commonwealth.
The officer-involved shooting remains under investigation by KSP. The officer involved has been placed on administrative leave in accordance with established MPD’s policies and procedures.
In a press release about its investigation of the officer-involved shooting sent this afternoon, KSP reported that the shooting occurred at 11:54 p.m. last night. Detectives’ preliminary investigation indicates that the male suspect made threats to MPD officers upon their arrival. An unnamed officer discharged their agency-issued firearm, striking the man, identified as Saxton. He sustained non-life-threatening injuries and was treated at a local hospital before being transferred to another hospital for further treatment. No other injuries were reported.
The release also advised that KSP has statewide jurisdiction and investigates officer-involved shootings throughout the commonwealth as requested by local, state and federal law enforcement agencies. The agency is committed to being transparent while ensuring the integrity of the investigation; therefore, it is KSP’s standard operating procedure not to release specific details until vital witnesses have been interviewed and pertinent facts have been gathered. Any timelines for completing investigations are based on the complexity of the case.
Individuals charged with crimes are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
MURRAY – A Maryland man filed a lawsuit in federal court against the Murray Police Department (MPD) earlier this week, claiming, among other things, that because of one officer’s use of excessive force in an early-morning encounter outside of a local bar, he was left with a traumatic brain injury and still suffers from what may be permanent side effects.
Now, more than six months after the incident, Liam Traube, 31, of Middletown, Maryland, says, “Because of the Murray Police Department, my life will never be the same.”
Johsua Harp, a Frankfort-based attorney with Baughman Harp, PLLC, filed the lawsuit in United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky Tuesday against MPD by way of its overseeing body, the City of Murray, as well as five MPD officers, in both their official and individual capacities: Officer Griffin Deese, Sergeant Dustin Bevil, Captain Jay Herndon, Major Angel Clere and Chief of Police Samuel “Sam” Bierds.
Harp told The Sentinel that the suit was filed in federal court because the case is centered on violations of Traube’s Fourth Amendment rights, and under 42 United States Code (U.S.C.) Section 1983, such violations fall under federal jurisdiction.
According to the complaint, MPD officers were dispatched to Tap 216 at approximately 1:29 a.m. on Jan. 1 after receiving a call from Ben Ballard, owner/manager of Tap 216, requesting assistance regarding a man who, after instigating a fight another man, was now “‘trying to fight staff.’” Ballard described the subject as a white male, wearing a flannel shirt, a vest and a hat.
Deese and MPD Officer Mairkqus Thompson, who is not named as a defendant in the case, responded to the call, arriving at Tap 216 approximately two minutes later. The complaint alleges an unnamed employee met the officers upon their arrival, advising the subject was “’going up around the building, down the alleyway now,’” and “without asking any more questions,” the officers took off running in the direction indicated by the employee.
The officers ran for approximately 15 seconds, according to the complaint, before they saw Traube, who was wearing neither a vest nor a hat, and his shirt was obscured by the coat he was wearing. Deese yelled, “Hey, stop,” and a few seconds later yelled, “Stop running now,” but he failed identify himself as a police officer both times. Thompson then yelled, “Murray Police. Stop.”
Traube stopped and raised his hands in surrender once Thompson identified himself as a police officer, the complaint contends, citing body-worn camera (BWC) footage; however, despite Traube’s attempt to comply with the officers’ orders, Deese, still running at full speed, tackled Traube, “hitting him so hard that he knocked him out of one of his shoes.”
“The force of his head slamming against the concrete cracked Traube’s skull and inflicted a serious and traumatic brain injury,” the complaint states. “Traube was immediately knocked unconscious and large amounts of blood immediately began pouring from his right ear. MPD BWC footage captured Traube’s limp body after Deese tackled him.”
Note: The complaint includes still photos taken from the BWC footage, which we will not openly display but can be viewed using the link below. The images are graphic in nature and may be disturbing to some individuals.
Click here
Traube suffered a basilar skull fracture, traumatic intracranial bleeding and traumatic brain injury. He was taken to Murray-Calloway County Hospital by ambulance and eventually flown to an out-of-state hospital for treatment.
“Officer Deese injured me without cause or justification, and I suffered a significant traumatic brain injury,” Traube wrote in a statement. “My injuries are extensive, and have had a severe impact on my life. I have constant headaches. I fatigue easily and take daily naps because of the headaches and the fatigue. Even my eyesight is affected, and I cannot see clearly. My hearing was affected. I am unable to remember things.
“My physicians have not released me to return to work. I have to rely on others for many things, because I simply cannot take care of myself like I could before. I am still going to occupational therapy, speech therapy, and physical therapy as I continue to try to get better, and I’m not sure if or when I will be able to stop going.”
In addition to critical injuries, Traube also received two misdemeanors. Deese charged him with public intoxication and third-degree fleeing or evading even though, according to the complaint, Deese did not witness any conduct by Traube during the three seconds that elapsed between Thompson identifying himself as a police officer and Deese tackling him that would meet statutory criteria for those crimes. Notably, prosecution of those charges was deferred for one year and may be eligible for dismissal in February 2026.
To that end, Tuesday’s filing further asserts that Deese made numerous misrepresentations in the uniform citation he filed related to the incident, many of which are directly refuted by the BWC footage.
“We’ve got the body cam footage; we’ve seen the footage,” Harp told The Sentinel. “It is absolutely ridiculous that they tackled him or used any physical force against him at all. He didn’t ‘fail to comply’ with their directions; they didn’t give him a chance to comply. They claimed that he was running when the video does not show him running. In fact, it’s dark, but you can see him raising his hands. So, instead, they talk about ‘throwing hands,’ and they file a criminal complaint against him, just to legitimize their actions.”
In the complaint, Harp argued that Deese’s actions constituted a violation of MPD’s “Response to Resistance” policy; however, Deese’s supervisors, namely, Bevil, Herndon, Clere and Bierds, indicated in follow-up documentation that his actions did not violate MPD’s policies or Kentucky Revised Statutes.
“Any finding, conclusion, or determination that Deese’s conduct was in compliance with MPD’s Response to Resistance Policy made by any representative of MPD with full knowledge of the pertinent facts was in bad faith, and was merely an attempt to conceal Deese’s unlawful actions,” the complaint states.
Images of the uniform citation prepared by Officer Griffin Deese, which charged Liam Traube with two misdemeanors.
Finally, the complaint asserts that MPD “has a history of condoning and ratifying officer conduct which is objectively contrary to [its] written policies,” noting that, prior to Jan. 1, MPD had, on multiple occasions, “condoned an officer’s use of force against a person when the person does not comply with the officer’s directions, even when there does not exist probably cause to arrest that person.”
In 2024 alone, half of all encounters for which MPD documented any use of force by officers resulted in injury to the subject, the complaint states.
Further, after noting it is not a crime in Kentucky for a pedestrian to evade law enforcement unless the act causes “a substantial risk of physical injury to someone else or results in actual injury,” the complaint asserts that, on multiple occasions prior to Jan. 1, MPD “condoned an officer’s use of force against a pedestrian who was perceived by the officer to be fleeing” despite lacking probable cause to arrest the individual for any other crime and without evidence of a substantial risk of injury.
Harp told The Sentinel that those allegations stem from his evaluation of records provided in response to an open records request he submitted related to MPD’s use-of-force incidents.
“There appears, to us,” he said, “to be a number of cases where an officer has given instruction, and when the person doesn’t comply with their directions, then they use force – whether it’s a lot of force or a little force, but they use force – in a way that is impermissible, not lawful. And then the department signs off on it and says that the use of force was in accordance with the policy and with Kentucky statute when, in fact, their policy says something very different, as do the statutes.”
As a result, according to the complaint, MPD has developed a culture that glorifies and promotes the use of force by its officers, regardless of whether it is warranted. By way of evidence, the complaint offered the fact that Deese was named “Officer of the Quarter” for the first of 2025, “which began … the day that he tackled Traube.”
“With no hint of irony whatsoever, when MPD declared Deese to be the ‘Officer of the Quarter,’ MPD awarded Deese a belt that is styled after the championship belts awarded for boxing, mixed martial arts, and professional wrestling. The belt was even emblazoned with the word ‘Champion,’” the complaint states, calling the use of such a belt a “tacit endorsement of police officers’ use of physical force against others.”
Chief of Police Sam Bierds, left, poses with Officer Griffin Deese who is holding the commemorative belt given to him for being named MPD’s Officer of the Quarter. (Photo credit: Murray Police Department Facebook page)
Three of the six counts listed in complaint are based on the theory that Deese’s actions on the morning of Jan. 1 constituted a violation of Traube’s Fourth Amendment rights; that the City of Murray was complicit because it bears the responsibility to oversee MPD’s policies, practices and procedures; and that Bevil, Herndon, Clere and Bierds are also liable by virtue of their respective supervisory roles.
The remaining counts include assertions of common law battery and negligence and gross negligence against Deese for tackling Traube; negligence and gross negligence against the other defendants for failing to supervise officers, to require adherence to MPD’s policies, to initiate discipline and/or termination of officers and failing to meaningfully and objectively investigate use-of-force incidents; and abuse of process against Deese for wrongfully charging Traube with crimes “in an attempt to make his own unconstitutional and tortious actions … appear reasonable” and against the City of Murray because issuing citations is a ministerial act.
Traube has asked for relief in the form of compensation for actual damages – past and future medical bills, emotional distress and physical pain and suffering; humiliation and embarrassment; and damage to his reputation – as well as punitive damages and reimbursement of costs, including attorney’s fees.
When contacted by The Sentinel Thursday, Beirds advised that he could not comment on the lawsuit at this time.
Editor’s note: Filings in civil lawsuits only reflect one party’s interpretation of events.
*This story was updated June 14 at 10:25 a.m. to correct formatting issues and add photos.
OMAHA, Neb. (NCBWA) – In the midst of the best season in program history, Murray State head coach Dan Skirka has been named the 2025 National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Mike Martin National Coach of the Year.
The Racers (44-15) have earned the first trip to the NCAA Division I Baseball World Series in program history. As a No. 4 seed in the Oxford Regional, Murray State twice knocked off the hosts, Ole Miss, including withstanding eight unanswered runs late in a 12-11 victory in the decisive Game 7.
Playing in its first-ever Super Regional, Murray State bounced back from a game one defeat at Duke. The Racers won the middle game, 19-9, and clinched a trip to Omaha with a 5-4 victory in the winner-take-all Game 3.
Murray State is the fourth-ever No. 4 seed to reach the College World Series, joining Oral Roberts (2023), Stony Brook (2012), and Fresno State (2008 – champions), and is the first MVC program to reach Omaha since 2003.
“I am humbled by this award, but it doesn’t happen without great people in my life,” said Skirka, who was the MVC Coach of the Year. “I owe so much to the people that have guided me both as a player and a coach and this award is shared by all of them. Many thanks to my coaching staff and our players, because they are the ones that made this amazing season happen. Many thanks to the NCBWA and their membership for this honor not only for myself, but also for the Murray State Baseball program.”
In their third season in the Missouri Valley Conference since joining in 2023, the Racers clinched a share of the regular season championship for the first time with a 17-8 record in league play. Murray State swept through the MVC Tournament with wins over Belmont, Southern Illinois, UIC, and Missouri State to claim its first title in the conference.
Skirka has a 206-149 record in seven seasons at the helm of the Racers, leading Murray State to its first regular season title since 1991 and first conference tournament crown since 2003.
“Coach Dan Skirka accomplished one of the great feats in college baseball annals this year in guiding Murray State to its first appearance in the NCAA Baseball World Series,” said NCBWA Executive Director Bo Carter. “The team played a ton of baseball from the Missouri Valley Conference Championship to the Oxford Regional and Durham Super Regional and won eight of those 10 games against Top 25 teams nationally. His determination has been reflected in his team’s grittiness, and he is most deserving of this award.”
Murray State boasts one of the top offenses in the country, ranking in the top 30 in scoring, hits, batting average, walks, doubles, triples, and on-base percentage, plus a stout defense with a .978 fielding percentage that ranks among the top 25 nationally.
The Racers open College World Series play against No. 15 seed UCLA on Saturday at 1 p.m. ET. Murray State and UCLA are joined in Bracket 2 by No. 3 seed Arkansas and No. 6 seed LSU.
About the Mike Martin National Coach of the Year Award
The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Coach of the Year Award, introduced in 2008, is voted on by the NCBWA Board of Directors, and chosen from a list that includes all Division I conference coaches of the year and the coaches of the eight NCAA College World Series teams.
In 2020, the NCBWA board of directors voted unanimously to name the annual award after Mike Martin, the winningest head coach in NCAA Division I baseball history after he retired at Florida State in 2019 with a 2,029-736-4 mark over 40 seasons in leading the FSU program from 1980-2019. Martin passed away in February 2024 at age 79.
“When I heard about it,” he said with a smile at the time, “I was simply flabbergasted. It is such an honor to have my name associated with this award, and it is a tribute to all the players and coaches who worked with me at Florida State.”
“We could not think of any other coach historically to associate a name for this annual award besides coach Mike Martin,” said Carter. “He has meant so much to college baseball as it has continued year-by-year to gain additional national popularity.”
NCBWA membership includes writers, broadcasters and publicists. Designed to promote and publicize college baseball, it is the sport’s only college media-related organization, founded in 1962.
ALL-TIME MIKE MARTIN AWARD WINNERS 2025 – Dan Skirka, Murray State 2024 – Nick Mingione, Kentucky 2023 – Ryan Folmar, Oral Roberts 2022 – Link Jarrett, Notre Dame 2021 – Tony Vitello, Tennessee 2020 – None Selected 2019 – Eric Bakich, Michigan 2018 – Gary Henderson, Mississippi State 2017 – Pat Casey, Oregon State 2016 – Gary Gilmore, Coastal Carolina 2015 – Paul Mainieri, LSU 2014 – Mike Gillespie, UC Irvine 2013 – Tracy Smith, Indiana 2012 – Matt Senk, Stony Brook 2011 – David Esquer, California 2010 – Jim Schlossnagle, TCU 2009 – Brian O’Connor, Virginia 2008 – Mike Batesole, Fresno State
MURRAY – The Murray man who made national headlines in December after several witnesses posted videos on social media of him fleeing police on a mule was arrested again Friday after allegedly releasing a raccoon inside a local bar.
Jonathan “Cody” Mason, 40, long-known locally to many as “Cowboy Cody,” still has three misdemeanor cases pending in Calloway District Court, stemming from multiple incidents that took place over a four-day period in December. Now, he faces three new misdemeanor charges and one felony.
Jonathan Mason, left, appears in Calloway District Court today to be arraigned on three new misdemeanor and one new felony charge. (Zoom screenshot)
At approximately 9:18 p.m. Friday, the Murray Police Department dispatched officers to Big Apple Grill and Bar after receiving a complaint that an individual released a raccoon inside the business, according to the uniform citation. While en route, officers were advised the individual fled the scene in a red truck with a horse trailer in tow. Upon locating the vehicle, officers conducted a traffic stop.
Mason allegedly refused to roll down the windows to speak to the officers, who, as noted in the citation, approached the vehicle with their firearms drawn “as this individual Jonathan Mason had a history of involving firearms when dealing with” law enforcement.
Eventually, officers broke the driver’s side window using a window breaker, opened the door and removed Mason from the vehicle; however, unbeknownst to the officers at the time, the truck was in neutral and proceeded to roll into an MPD unit, causing damage to the vehicle. The Calloway County Sheriff’s Office was contacted to file an accident report regarding the collision, and during that process, it was discovered that the truck was not insured.
As MPD continued its investigation, officers learned that one individual at the Big Apple was bitten by the raccoon. They also verified that Mason was previously told he was not allowed on the Big Apple’s property.
After being taken to Murray-Calloway County Hospital for treatment of minor injuries, upon release, Mason was lodged in the Calloway County Detention Center on charges of second-degree assault, third-degree criminal trespassing, resisting arrest and failure of owner to maintain required insurance, first offense.
He was arraigned on the new charges in Calloway County District Court this morning. Murray attorney Mitchell “Mitch” Ryan, who also represents Mason in his pending misdemeanor cases, asked Calloway District Judge Randall Hutchens to consider reducing his client’s bond, noting that Mason’s mother could pay $500 (10%) but not the full $5,000 cash bond Hutchens set over the weekend.
“Mr. Mason has always done what I’ve asked him to do,” Ryan said. “He’s always appeared in court. Where he stays is a long, long way away from Murray, and I think he can stay away from people, places and things for the next little while until we get this resolved.”
Hearkening back to 2024, Hutchens noted that alcohol was a contributing factor in Mason’s misdemeanor cases.
“I don’t have a whole lot of information regarding the facts (in the new case), but I’m relatively certainly there was no alcohol involved in this,” Ryan told the judge. “I do know that the Apple was involved, but I don’t think there’s any alcohol. Matter of fact, I don’t know that he even made it into the building.”
“Here’s my problem,” Hutchens interjected. “Let’s get passed the felony issue … call it resolved, but then we’ve got this resisting (arrest). They had to break a window in to get him out. There ended up being damage to a police vehicle. All because of his behavior when they tried to communicate with him and confront him about the underlying felony allegations. He already has fleeing or evading in one of his priors, and the combination concerns me.”
Calloway District Judge Randall Hutchens talks to Mason, right, and Ryan during today’s arraignment. (Zoom screenshot)
Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney James Burkeen voiced his opposition to the request, noting that Mason was out on bond in three other cases when he was arrested Friday.
“That’s where I’m at, too,” Hutchens said. “Mr. Mason, if I let you out on bond in one case, you can’t continue to get in more trouble while out on bond. You’re a member of the public. You would expect me, as a judge, with regard to anybody else in the world, if they continue to get in trouble while they’re out on bond, then I shouldn’t let them out. You wouldn’t want me to do that. That’s where I am right now.”
Ryan asked the judge to consider in-home incarceration until Mason returns to court next week for his preliminary hearing in this case.
“You may talk me into it next Wednesday, but today I’m not going to,” Hutchens responded.
Mason’s next court appearance is scheduled for Wednesday, June 18, at 9:30 a.m.
Individuals charged with crimes are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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