A judge in Daviess County has rejected a change of venue motion from the prosecution in the Billy Joe Miles sexual assault case.
Miles is charged with rape, sodomy, and bribery, stemming from an incident last summer. The woman was serving as a home health care worker at Miles’s house.
Miles is an Owensboro businessman and a former chairman of the University of Kentucky’s Board of Trustees. He’s also the father of state Representative Suzanne Miles, whose district includes part of Daviess County.
Prosecutors sought to move the trial to Hardin County, arguing that it would be nearly impossible to seat an unbiased jury in the defendant’s home community.
Special Circuit Judge Kelly Mark Easton said prosecutors failed to prove that the trial needed to be moved.
The trial is scheduled to start January 16th.
Judge Easton has said that he’ll hold a hearing with mental health experts before that date to determine if Miles is competent to stand trial.