Paducah man arrested after courthouse shooting threat

KBSI FOX23 News at 9 p.m.

PADUCAH, Ky., (KBSI) — A Paducah man was arrested Monday after authorities said he threatened to bring a gun to the McCracken County Courthouse and open fire.

The McCracken County Sheriff’s Office said the threat was reported at about 10:30 a.m. Security at the courthouse was immediately heightened while detectives began investigating.

Deputies identified the suspect as Richie Byassee and determined he made the threats by telephone. Byassee was arrested and charged with second-degree terroristic threatening. He was lodged in the McCracken County Jail.

Byassee was already out on bond for charges of DUI, second-degree assault and first-degree wanton endangerment from an October 2024 incident. He is scheduled for a pretrial conference on those charges Tuesday.