"I wasn't present," Clayton Stamper, lead investigator, said. "But when he was taken into custody, I was told by one of the other officers that were there that he made the comment, 'They're trying to kidnap my wife and kid.

The letter, from The Law Office of Jeremy A. Bartley, said that Stines made the "difficult decision to effect his retirement" on Monday ahead of the ongoing legal process.

The sheriff who is charged with the murder of a district court judge in Eastern Kentucky has now retired.Sheriff Mickey Stines pleaded not guilty last week.Stin