A Perry County grand jury has indicted a Hazard man on more than 60 charges after he allegedly messaged in a sexual manner with and attempted to meet what he believed was a 14-year-old girl.
According to court documents, on Aug. 28, a Perry County grand jury indicted Ross Hurt, 36, of Ruby Drive, on 42 counts of procuring or promoting the use of a minor by electronic means, one count of attempted possession of matter portraying a sex performance by a minor, eight counts of attempted distribution of obscene matter to minors, 10 counts of attempted unlawful transaction with a minor and a single count of giving an officer false identifying information.
Hurt was originally arrested in September 2025, after an investigation by KyPredoPursuit, an organization made up of individuals who expose child predators in an attempt to protect children from online suspected predators, according to a statement from the office of Perry County Sheriff Joe Engle.
Members of the organization, the statement said, provided Deputy Chris Jones with copies of conversations between Ross Hurt, 35, and the organization’s decoy, who was posing as a 14-year-old girl.
During the conversations, Hurt had texted messages, photos and videos of a sexually explicit nature, the statement said. Hurt, the statement said, also asked for inappropriate photographs.
Hurt attempted to meet the girl in Wabaco and was arrested, the statement said.
The charge of procuring or promoting the use of a minor by electronic means, according to the indictment, is a class C felony that carries a potential prison sentence of between 5 and 10 years if Hurt is convicted.
Others indicted by the grand jury included:
• Brian Haddix, 64, of Frogtown Lane, Hazard, on charges of first-degree possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.
• Angela K. Beverly, 55, of John M. Stumbo Drive, Langley, on charges of first-degree possession of a controlled substance, first-degree promoting contraband and tampering with physical evidence.
• Randall R. Hagan, 53, of Tartan Lane, on charges of first-degree possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Editor’s note: An indictment is simply an accusation of a crime and carries no weight of guilt. All persons named in the above indictments are presumed innocent until convicted in a court of law or they enter a guilty plea.
