MURRAY – A Murray Police Department investigation into the sexual assault of a juvenile has led to the arrest of a man in Florida on a first-degree rape charge and the arrest of a Murray woman on charges of perjury and child endangerment.
Shane White, 34, of Pensacola, Fla., was taken into custody in Florida, where he is awaiting extradition to Kentucky, according to a press release MPD issued Thursday. The agency also thanked the Bay County and Escambia County sheriff’s offices in Florida for their assistance in locating and apprehending White.
Florida TV station WJHG reported Wednesday that Shane White was apprehended at a construction site on Panama City Beach. The Bay County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Marshals Service Florida/Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force located a vehicle at the site believed to be driven by White. Officers had reason to believe White was armed. Task force members told the station that White was found standing outside the vehicle and was arrested without incident.
Online court records in Florida show MPD, with authorization from Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney James Burkeen, requested that White be entered into the National Crime Information Center database on April 2.
Florida records also show that White made his first court appearance Thursday and that the case was later listed as closed, although it is unclear whether an extradition hearing was held or White waived formal proceedings. At press time, the Bay County Sheriff’s Office still listed White as an inmate on its website. Charges against White in Calloway County are expected following extradition.
In connection with the same investigation, MPD arrested Samantha White, 35, on April 3 and charged her with first-degree perjury, a Class D felony, and second-degree endangering the welfare of a minor, a Class A misdemeanor. She was lodged in the Calloway County Detention Center and is being held on a $50,000 cash bond.
In an affidavit filed with the complaint warrant in Samantha White’s case, MPD Detective Trista Winebarger said the investigation began in January after a juvenile disclosed alleged sexual abuse during a therapy session and the abuse was later reported to MPD.
Winebarger wrote that Samantha White lied under oath during family court proceedings and later hindered the investigation by telling the juvenile not to speak with authorities unless she was present.
Samantha White was arraigned Tuesday in Calloway District Court. During the hearing, Paducah-based attorney Alisha Bobo, who represents White, asked Calloway District Judge Randall Hutchens to consider reducing the bond amount, noting her client has little to no criminal history.
“That’s not uncommon in these kinds of cases,” Hutchens interjected. When Bobo attempted to reply that she understood the gravity of the allegations, Hutchens interrupted.
“I take it very seriously,” he said. “If the allegations are even 90% true, I think it’s horrendous, and my bond reflects my opinion in that. Now, in preliminary, the facts may show something different. … I’m not going to change it today. See you next week.”
Separate from the criminal proceedings, Bobo filed a petition for writ of habeas corpus in Calloway Circuit Court on Wednesday, challenging the $50,000 cash bond. In the filing, which included an affidavit of indigency and White’s pretrial services history report as exhibits, Bobo argued that White remains incarcerated because she cannot afford to post it. The filing further contends that the cash-only bond functions as a “de facto detention order.”
“Bail may not serve restitution or punitive purposes,” the petition asserts. “Kentucky law is clear that bail exists to secure appearance, not to enforce restitution or impose punishment prior to adjudication.”
The petition is scheduled for hearing before Calloway Circuit Judge Andrea Moore on Monday, April 13, at 3 p.m.
Samantha White’s next appearance in Calloway District Court is scheduled for Wednesday, April 15, at 9 a.m. for the preliminary hearing in her criminal case.
Individuals charged with crimes are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Editor's note: This story was updated with new information regarding Shane White's arrest at 12:30 p.m. on April 10, 2026.
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