MONROE COUNTY, Ky. — A morning session of Monroe County Circuit Court moved through arraignments, plea agreements and sentencings, with judges and attorneys scheduling multiple negotiation and sentencing dates and pressing for treatment or supervision in several cases.

Jody Murphy, who identified herself in court as born in 1999, asked for shock probation and to be placed in long‑term treatment so she can care for her newborn. "Because, obviously, I need help," Murphy told the court, adding that her infant was living with an aunt in Tennessee. The judge said placements must prevent a client from leaving and took the shock‑probation request under advisement while instructing defense and probation staff to pursue a reassessment and an acceptable placement that could allow mother‑and‑baby contact.

The court accepted guilty pleas and imposed or scheduled sentences in several cases. The judge accepted a plea and imposed a three‑year sentence, probated for five years, in the case of Steven Coutts; the defendant was ordered to report to probation and pay court costs on a set monthly schedule. The court also accepted a plea from Justin Gillespie that the Commonwealth recommended carry a one‑year sentence to serve for the charged controlled‑substance offense.

Taquan Howard pleaded guilty to trafficking in the first degree (fentanyl). The court imposed an eight‑year sentence and set the parole‑eligibility structure so Howard must serve half the term before being eligible for parole; the judgment included forfeiture of money to the Commonwealth and waiver of some court costs because Howard will be incarcerated.

In other negotiated dispositions, the court converted what otherwise would have been pretrial diversion or revocation for several defendants into treatment‑oriented sanctions. Kaylee (Kaley) Hill agreed to plead to resisting arrest, pay a $50 fine and enter a 90‑day inpatient treatment program followed by 90 days of sober living as part of an in‑lieu‑of‑revocation agreement. The judge urged Hill to use treatment to change course.

A dispute over jail‑credit allocation drew attention in the sentencing of Stephen Brown. Defense counsel said 353 days of credit had been attributed to a Graves County PSI that Brown argued should apply to the Monroe County sentence imposed today; the judge said the Department of Corrections determines credit but indicated he would issue an amended judgment if necessary to reflect the court's view that credit should apply to the Monroe County case.

The court scheduled multiple follow‑up dates. Christopher Burks pleaded guilty at a pretrial conference; the Commonwealth recommended a six‑year sentence for a fleeing and evading first‑degree felony and the court set sentencing for Jan. 15 pending a pre‑sentence investigation. Several other defendants were given negotiation dates on Jan. 7 and sentencing dates on Jan. 15 in matters spanning probation revocations, trafficking and diversion programs.

The session included routine administrative matters: arraignments, appointment of public counsel for defendants without retained counsel, coordination with probation/parole for supervision and transportation logistics for incarcerated defendants in treatment or in other counties. The judge closed the morning session after confirming the scheduled dates and advising probation and defense counsel to follow up on placement and paperwork matters.

What happens next: multiple cases have sentencing set for Jan. 15; negotiation days were set for Jan. 7. The court left one shock‑probation request under advisement pending placement reassessment and coordination with the Commonwealth.