Allen man indicted in fatal shootings of Floyd County police officers

By Lilly Adkins

BSN Associate Editor

PRESTONSBURG — The Floyd County Grand Jury returned a 20-count indictment Monday against Lance Storz, 49, of Allen, who is charged with the murder of three officers on June 30 and was arraigned on the indictment Tuesday morning.

Storz was scheduled to appear in court for a hearing at 1:30 p.m. Monday, but the judge announced that the hearing was no longer necessary since the grand jury had already issued the indictment.

The indictment charges Storz with three counts of murder for the intentional killing of Floyd County Deputy William Petry and Prestonsburg Police Officers Ralph Frasure and Jake Chaffins; two counts of first-degree assault for shooting Floyd County Deputy Darrin Lawson and DES Director Joe Reynolds; six counts of criminal attempt to commit murder when he shot at Prestonsburg Police Officer Keith Duncan, Floyd County Deputy Darrin Lawson, Floyd County Deputy Chris Hall, Floyd County Deputy Dusty Newsome, Kentucky State Police Billy Ball and Constable Gary Wolfe, with the intent to cause their death; seven counts of first-degree wanton endangerment for shooting into a vehicle where Reynolds was an occupant, for shooting in the direction of Prestonsburg Police Officer Keagan Williams, for shooting into the vehicle in which Prestonsburg Police Officer Dennis Hutchinson was an occupant, for shooting in the direction of Kentucky State Police Officer Bailey Combs, for shooting in the direction of Kentucky State Police Michael McKinney, for shooting in the direction of Floyd County Deputy Adam Dixon, for shooting in the direction of Constable Gary Nelson; first-degree assault on a service animal when he intentionally killed Floyd County K-9 Officer Drago by shooting him, and fourth-degree assault, domestic violence, when he intentionally caused physical injury to Christina Storz when he struck her.

Commonwealth’s Attorney Brent Turner hasn’t decided yet whether he will pursue the death penalty in the case.

“We have a very deliberate process we go through in determining whether to seek death in a case like this. We have to go through the evidence and also consult with the victim’s families,” Turner said Monday. “We will make a decision later after we have gone through that process. It is an important decision and we do not take it lightly, nor do we make decisions based on emotion or public sentiment.”