LEXINGTON, Ky. (FOX 56) — An elected Fayette County official has been charged with stalking and served with a temporary protection order.
According to a uniform citation, Matt Miniard, a Fayette County Soil & Water Conservation Board supervisor, threatened to shoot his tenant on two occasions. The citation says the dispute was caused because Miniard wanted to evict the tenant without using the legal process by turning off the electricity to his room and throwing the tenant’s personal belongings outside.
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Miniard’s Fayette County Conservation District biography states he is a Lexington real estate appraiser, broker, builder, and developer.
Court records show former Fayette County Soil and Water Conservation District supervisor Christopher Rowe filed an interpersonal protection order against Miniard.
Rowe said the situation with Miniard has caused a lot of anxiety.
On Wednesday, a civil summons requiring Miniard to appear in court on June 1.
“I am very grateful that the court issued this protective order and is taking this issue seriously. I am hopeful it will be extended next week,” Rowe said in a statement to FOX 56 News.
In a copy of a statement provided by Rowe, Rowe says he left his role at Fayette County Soil & Water Conservation because of Miniard.
“I, Christopher Rowe, left the board eight months ago, despite believing strongly in the work that we were doing and it continues to do, because it was simply too exhausting to deal with Miniard and my wife and I feared just this sort of threatening behavior based on his erratic conduct and history,” the statement reads.
According to the statement, Rowe sought the temporary protection order after Miniard came to Rowe’s home.
“He then proceeded to verbally abuse me, referring to me as a ‘piece of shit’ and a ‘coward’ and I informed him that he should leave, as did my wife, and that we were calling the police. He said, ‘Call them’ and I was already in the process of doing so. He then said, ‘I’m going to fucking kill you,’ and finally drove away.”
Rowe and his wife said they plan to pursue charges against Miniard.
FOX 56 News reached out to Miniard for comment but has not heard back.