Back some point during or before 2008, Mingo County Circuit Judge Michael Thornsbury started sleeping with his married secretary Kim Woodruff. When Woodruff tried to break things off, Judge Thornsbury began a 4 year long crusade to frame Woodruff’s husband Robert for a variety of crimes ranging from drug possession to larceny and assault, along the way dragging various other members of county law enforcement, knowingly or unknowingly, into his scheme. The plots ranged from planting drugs on Woodruff to taking a case where Woodruff was the victim of an assault and charging him as the perpetrator. Adding to the weirdness, along the way various members of county government intervened along the way to protect Woodruff but did not go so far as to expose Thornsbury’s vendetta or attempt to have him removed as judge.
U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin finally had to step in (Thornsbury is the county’s only judge); Thornsbury currently faces 20 years imprisonment if convicted.
