Suspect in E'town barn fire indicted for arson

An Elizabethtown man accused of igniting a barn fire in October was indicted last week by the Hardin County grand jury.

GALLARDO

As emergency officials responded to the blaze at 734 Hawkins Drive, Elizabethtown police say Jesse M. Gallardo, 21, was seen walking in the area. He was taken to the Elizabethtown Police Department to be interviewed by detectives and later was charged with third-degree arson.

Gallardo has been indicted on a charge of second-degree arson in connection with the Oct. 22 fire. He has been lodged since October at the Hardin County Detention Center in lieu of a $5,000 cash or double property bond. He is scheduled to appear for arraignment Feb. 19 in Hardin Circuit Court.

According to the Department of Corrections, Gallardo was on a three-year pretrial diversion for a third-degree arson conviction in 2010 in Jefferson County.

A violation of the diversion would result in a two-year sentence in a detention facility, according to the DOC.

In addition to Gallardo, the grand jury indicted three others this week.

Robert F. Hollingsworth, 33, of Battletown was indicted for first-degree sodomy.

According to the indictment, the offense occurred in December 2006 and involved a minor younger than 12 years old at the time.

Hollingsworth is scheduled to appear for arraignment Jan. 15 in circuit court. Jail records show he is not in custody in Hardin County.

Johnny Nicholas Spence, 26, of Elizabethtown was indicted for first-degree burglary, fourth-degree assault-third offense within a five-year period, second-degree persistent felony offense.

He is lodged at the jail in lieu of a partially secured $25,000 bond and is scheduled to appear Feb. 19 for arraignment.

Everett Tucker, 26, of Bonnieville was indicted on charges of first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance — methamphetamine, more than 2 grams, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of marijuana.

He is lodged at the jail in lieu of a $75,000 cash or double property bond and is scheduled to appear for arraignment Jan. 15.

An indictment is an allegation, not proof of guilt. The defendant is innocent until proven guilty.

Beginning this month, the Hardin County grand jury is returning indictments once a week as opposed to once at the end of the month.

Sarah Bennett can be reached at (270) 505-1750 or sbennett@thenewsenterprise.com.