Two suspects in October Hardin County incidents were back in court Tuesday.
Dustin Caudill appeared via Zoom before Hardin Circuit Judge Larry Ashlock for an arraignment hearing following his indictment by a Grand Jury on multiple charges including two counts of Murder and one count of First Degree Arson, among other charges. Caudill is accused of shooting and killing 41-year-old Blake France of Greenville and 43-year-old Anthony Garrett of Elizabethtown and then setting fire to the Henon Lane residence they were in on October 30.
Public defenders assigned to represent Caudill initially asked that the arraignment be delayed in order to allow Caudill to attend in person as he said he had difficulty hearing the proceedings via Zoom. Judge Ashlock declined this and said the Kentucky General Assembly asks the courts to do arraignments via video in order to keep costs down. A plea of not guilty was entered by the defense on Caudill’s behalf and the commonwealth attorney’s office submitted discovery in the case for the defense to review. A pre-trial conference was scheduled for February 11.
Meanwhile, George Lee Jr. appeared via Zoom for a pre-trial conference. Lee faces multiple charges including two counts of Kidnapping and three counts of Wanton Endangerment after he allegedly discharged a firearm in the Baptist Health Hardin emergency room October 19. A jury trial was scheduled for September 8 with a final pre-trial conference scheduled for September 2.
Both Caudill and Lee remain incarcerated in the Hardin County Detention Center.
