Floyd Circuit Judge Johnny Ray Harris sentenced 46-year-old Robert E. Nuckols on March 5 on an amended charge of second-degree unlawful transaction with a minor.
Court records show Nuckols entered the Alford plea in February. Under an Alford plea, a defendant does not admit guilt but acknowledges that prosecutors have enough evidence to obtain a conviction.
According to the indictment, the charge stems from an April 2024 incident in Floyd County in which Nuckols attempted to induce a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity.
The second-degree unlawful transaction charge is a Class D felony and carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
Court documents show the four-year sentence was recommended by the office of Floyd Commonwealth’s Attorney Brent Turner and was reached through felony mediation.
Records also show Nuckols is a lifetime registrant on Kentucky’s Sex Offender Registry due to a previous conviction for second-degree sodomy involving a nine-year-old victim in Warren County.
Nuckols is currently being held in the Floyd County Detention Center.
