Press Release

March 1, 2010

-Princeton-

Kevin L. Knight, age 31, Owensville, was sentenced in Gibson Circuit Court to six (6) years in the Gibson County Jail after admitting to numerous charges, including that he battered his girlfriend in front of her children.  Knight pled guilty to Domestic Battery in the Presence of a Child and Residential Entry, both Class D felonies.  He also pled guilty to the A misdemeanor charges of Interference with Reporting of a Crime, two counts of Invasion of Privacy, and to a second count of Domestic Battery, as well as to the B misdemeanor charges of Criminal Mischief, and Simple Battery. 

These charges stem from four separate matters that occurred over the course of the last few months.  In an agreement reached with Gibson County Prosecutor Robert Krieg, Knight received the maximum sentences in each count with the sentence in each cause number run consecutively, giving Knight a total of 72 months jail.  Knight also waived his right to have his sentence modified in return for allowing him to serve his sentence on work release.   In addition, the State also dismissed one felony count of Criminal Confinement.

On August 25, 2009, Princeton Police Officers responded to a call that a female subject had been struck by her boyfriend.  As they were approaching the residence, officers received a dispatch that the male suspect was attempting to leave the scene on a moped.  Shortly thereafter, PPD Officer John Dyer observed the male suspect, later identified as Kevin Knight, leaving the scene of the incident, 303 S. Fourth Street; Princeton, doing just that. At the scene, Dyer found a female subject, Jennifer White, crying.  White told officers that she had opened the door when someone had knocked and that Knight had pushed his way in without being invited and that he demanded to see her cell phone.  White refused to give Knight the phone so he pushed her against the wall in the kitchen and took her phone.  White asked for her phone back so she could call for help, but Knight broke it in half and stomped on it.  One of White’s daughters observed the entire incident and ran outside the residence to call 911.  Knight initially denied hitting White but admitted to breaking the phone because he thought White, who was his girlfriend at the time, was cheating on him.  

After this initial incident, the prosecutor’s office requested and received a No Contact Order prohibiting Knight from contacting Ms. White either directly or through a third party.  In the meantime, Knight posted a cash bond of $2050.00 two days after being arrested.  On December 14, 2009, Princeton Police responded to another 911 call originating from 303 S. Fourth Street and found White standing outside her front door crying and appearing to be in pain.  White said her now ex-boyfriend Kevin Knight had approached her and pulled her hair as she had arrived home with a friend.  A scuffle took place before Knight ran out of the home after being told by Ms. White’s daughter that she was calling the police.  Knight was not located and a warrant was issued for his arrest. 

Before being arrested for the Dec. 14 incident, Knight again became the subject of a PPD investigation after a Princeton Fire Territory employee observed a male subject standing over a female in the middle of Embree Street while the female was yelling for help.  PPD Officer John Dyer responded to the Dec. 19, 2009 incident and found Ms. White hyperventilating but did not find the male suspect in the area.  Ms. White told Officer Dyer that she had gone to Kevin Knight’s residence at 409 Third Street; Princeton because he had asked her to come over and talk things out.  She said after a short conversation with Knight she decided to leave, but that Knight prevented her from doing so by dragging her back into his house.  Shortly thereafter, while Knight went to the bathroom to get a washcloth, White was able to escape and ran toward the firehouse before Knight caught up with her.  Later that evening Knight called the Sheriff’s Department and stated that Ms. White had come to his house and wouldn’t leave so he pushed her out the front door and that she fell in the process.  Knight was arrested later that evening but after appearing in court the next morning posted an additional $5000.00 cash bond, bringing his bond total posted to $10,000.00. 

White later alleged that on New Year’s Even, Knight again violated the No Contact Order by texting her eight times.  After an investigation by Princeton Police, Knight was again charged with violating a No Contact Order and was arrested on February 17 after probable cause was found on that charge.  The judge ordered an additional $5000.00 bond, which Knight was unable to post this time.  The State then filed a Motion for Bond Revocation, and a hearing was held on February 18.  At that hearing, Judge Jeff Meade revoked Knight’s bond and ordered he remain in jail pending the outcome of the cases.

GIBSON COUNTY MAN GETS 72 MONTHS FOR DOMESTIC BATTERY

…OTHER RELATED MATTERS (Knight)