Local blues musician’s trial draws near | News

The victim in a 2020 sex abuse case against a local blues musician will testify via video, according to court records.

Larry Whitt, 63, of Ashland, is approaching his Aug. 22 trial date nearly two years after a Boyd County grand jury indicted him on multiple sex offenses.

According to the July 14 order, Judge John Vincent found that in-person testimony against Whitt would cause further grief for the victim and prevent the jury’s “search for the truth.”

“The young age would, combined with the acts alleged, potentially injure the victim in facing the alleged perpetrator of same,” Judge Vincent wrote.

The victim’s guardian ad litem advocated for video testimony out of mental health concerns. In family court cases, the guardian ad litem is typically appointed for the child to represent the child’s best interest in court.

Prosecutor Mel Leonhart pushed back against the suggestion in May, stating “in my limited experience, having the victim testify on a screen can result in an unfavorable outcome.”

Whitt is accused of molesting a girl beginning at the age of 11, according to the court records.

Whitt was indicted by the grand jury with eight counts of first-degree sexual abuse, two class A sex offense felonies as well as class D felonies in August of 2020.

He could face up to 20 to 50 years in prison for the class A felonies.

The case is being prosecuted by the Greenup County Commonwealth’s Attorney Office which was called in as a special prosecutor. Attorney David Mussetter is representing Whitt.