Trooper involved in deadly Floyd County shooting named ‘Trooper of the Year’

FRANKFORT, Ky. (WYMT) - Several Eastern Kentucky based troopers were recognized at a ceremony in Frankfort with one taking the Kentucky State Police’s highest honor.

KSP commissioner Phillip Burnett named Trooper Billy Ball from the Pikeville post as the Trooper of the Year on Thursday.

Ball was one of many law enforcement officers who responded to the deadly Allen shooting that left three fellow officers and a police K9 dead in June 2022.

Burnett, who is from Bell County, took a moment to recognize Prestonsburg Police Captain Ralph Frasure, Prestonsburg Police Officer Jacob Chaffins, Floyd County Deputy William Petry and Floyd County K9 Drago at the ceremony.

Other troopers from our region who were honored include:

Detective James Royal was named 2022 Detective of the Year. Detective Royal is a 10-year veteran of KSP assigned to Post 11 London.

Captain Jennifer Sandlin received the 2022 Service Achievement Award. Captain Sandlin is a 20-year veteran of KSP assigned to Post 13 Hazard.

Twelve troopers were awarded the KSP Citation for Bravery. Those from our area include Ball and fellow troopers Bailey Combs and Michael McKinney, both from the Pikeville post, along with Shane Goodall from the Ashland post.

Sixteen troopers received the Lifesaving Medal. In our area, those include Jerry Perkins Jr. from the Harlan post and Bruce Kelley and James Gross from the Hazard post.

Six troopers received the Meritorious Award, including Jeremy Moore from the Hazard post.

Two troopers received the Guthrie Crowe Award, an honor bestowed on officers of the agency who sustain a severe wound or injury during the performance of their law enforcement duty. One of those was Bradley Couch from the Hazard post.

You can see the complete list of winners, including Trooper of the Year honors by post, here.