By MICHAEL CRIMMINS
Glasgow News 1
Mark Hanks’ case was forwarded to a Barren County grand jury after his preliminary hearing on Feb. 3.
Hanks was arrested on Saturday, Jan. 25, at T.J. Samson Community Hospital following an interview with the alleged 7-year-old juvenile victim, who identified him as the perpetrator who “exposed her to sexual contact” on the night of Jan. 20. He was arraigned the following Monday and had a cash bond of $50,000.
Arresting Barren County Sheriff’s deputy Joseph Ford testified before District Judge Gabe Pendleton and said items such as clothing and bedspreads were being sent to a Kentucky State Police laboratory for testing, and that Hanks had admitted to the charges of first-degree rape and sodomy.
After Ford’s brief testimony and cross examination by Hanks’ attorney, Pendleton said he was forwarding the case to a grand jury.
“Based on the testimony, the court finds probable cause to forward this to a grand jury,” Pendleton said. “You won’t have another court date in this case until the grand jury decides what to do.”
There was a brief discussion of reducing his bond, but the Commonwealth’s attorney objected to it, saying he lived at the victim’s residence and the attorney wasn’t aware of alternate lodging.
