Trigg County’s insurance carrier will pay $150,000 to settle a federal lawsuit filed by Crystal Smith against Sheriff Aaron Acree — who was accused of assaulting her and threatening to kill her while she was handcuffed and shackled following a 2022 arrest.
Smith filed the lawsuit soon after the incident, alleging Acree committed the act at the Trigg County Sheriff’s Office after she was arrested for breaking into his home. In previous depositions, as well as in conversations with the Louisville Courier-Journal, Smith said she was struggling with heroin addiction following the loss of her young son, and did not know the home she entered belonged to the sheriff.
The lawsuit alleged Acree requested Jailer James Hughes bring Smith to the sheriff’s office to see if she had a wedding ring allegedly taken in the burglary. Once there, Acree took Smith into the sheriff’s office where she said the assault took place…