Owsley County teacher arrested on allegations of abusing two students
A teacher at Owsley County High School was arrested after Kentucky State Police said two students were involved, putting the county’s smallest classrooms under a hard spotlight.
The arrest of an Owsley County High School teacher on allegations that he sexually abused two students sent a jolt through one of the county’s most visible institutions. The case began when investigators were contacted on Nov. 11, 2019, and it quickly moved into criminal charges that drew attention across Booneville and the rest of Owsley County.
State police announced on Nov. 14, 2019, that James S. Cornett, 40, of Beattyville, was arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree sexual abuse. Detective Austin Brashear of Post 7 was identified as the investigator, and police said the investigation remained ongoing. Cornett was booked into Three Forks Regional Jail in Lee County.
State police arrested Cornett again on Nov. 22, 2019, and charged him with two additional counts of first-degree sexual abuse. A grand jury later indicted him on two counts of sexual abuse, one count of indecent exposure, two counts of bribing a witness and two counts of promoting a sex performance by a minor under 16.
Owsley County High School serves grades 6-12 and has a student population of 317, with a student-teacher ratio of 15:1. The school sits at the center of a county where educators often play outsized roles in academic, athletic and community life.
Any felony case tied to the allegations would move through Kentucky’s circuit court system, with county court matters centered at the Owsley County Courthouse, 20 Main St. in Booneville.
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