Governor Matt Bevin has appointed a new judge-executive for Webster County in western Kentucky.
Bevin selected Stephen Henry of Providence to replace the county's longtime judge-executive, James Townsend, who resigned.
Bevin's office says Henry is a lifelong Webster County resident who became the county's first 911 coordinator while working for the local fiscal court. In 1994, he began working in the coal industry, where he has been a manager for the past 10 years.
Townsend, a Democrat, has stepped forward to challenge longtime state Rep. Jim Gooch in the upcoming November election. Gooch switched parties to become a Republican late last year.