Sheriff who tried to stop fight pleads not guilty to assault

HAZARD, Ky. (AP) — A sheriff charged with assault after allegedly hitting a teenage girl while trying to break up a fight during a high school basketball game in eastern Kentucky has pleaded not guilty to the charge. WYMT-TV reports Owsley County Sheriff Brent Lynch appeared Monday in Perry District Court for an arraignment. Lynch is part of Owsley County High School’s coaching staff and police say he intervened in a Dec. 3 fight during a girls’ basketball game at Perry County Central High School. Trooper Matthew Gayheart says Lynch is alleged to have rushed the floor and struck a Perry County Central player. Lynch’s lawyer declined to comment to the station about the charges.