> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.shayinformed.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Kentucky's new grooming law hits its first legal test- and fails to clear it - URL: https://www.shayinformed.com/kentuckys-new-grooming-law-hits-its-first-legal-test-and-fails-to-clear-it/ - Published: 2026-09-11T01:04:04.000Z - Updated: 2026-09-11T01:04:04.000Z - Author: Shay McAlister The dismissal comes despite a citation describing secretive messages, late-night FaceTime calls, and a meeting kept from parents. --- *"I'm Shay McAlister, and this is Shay Informed: an independent, ad-free platform dedicated to honest journalism with compassion and clarity.* *Are you new here?* [*Sign up*](https://www.shayinformed.com/#/portal/signup) *for the free weekly newsletter or subscribe to support our mission and access behind-the-scenes content, podcasts, and in-depth stories reserved for paid subscribers.* --- Less than a month after Kentucky's brand-new grooming law was first used to make an arrest, a judge has dismissed the charge against the Graves County Middle School teacher accused under it- a development that's already raising questions about whether the law can do what it was designed to do. A judge dismissed all charges against Sadie Flores this week, according to online court records. [Reporting from WPSD](https://www.wpsdlocal6.com/news/graves-county-judge-dismisses-grooming-charge-against-former-middle-school-teacher/article%5Fc100f759-0acd-4c25-a8e1-a8c6ebd32a7e.html?ref=shayinformed.com) indicates the dismissal came down to a lack testimony that any type of sexual behavior or contact has occurred. "I have heard no testimony that has occurred," the judge, identified as Scott Robbins said. "There may be evidence that that has occurred, and there may be evidence that has not been disseminated yet, but I can only go on what I have been presented today." The judge then dismissed the charges against the former middle school teacher. ## What the citation alleged ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/8c/19/8c19890d-f21a-4442-8055-5db9783cac58/content/images/2026/09/Screenshot-2026-09-10-at-8.48.44---PM.png) The original citation offers a much more detailed picture of the investigation than the initial press release did. According to the citation, the case began when the Graves County School Board was contacted by the parent of a currently enrolled 14-year-old student. The parent had taken the child's phone and gone through messages, which is what led school officials to notify the Graves County Sheriff's Office. Investigators say those messages showed the student had been communicating with Flores in ways that "were determined to not be of a legitimate purpose and were not school-related." The parent also flagged multiple incoming FaceTime calls late in the evening- calls the parent said they weren't aware of at the time. As the investigation continued, detectives say they found communication across multiple social media platforms that appeared to go beyond a normal student-teacher relationship- messages they describe as attempting to manipulate the minor and expressing "feelings of love and admiration." The citation also alleges the two met in secret before a school function that Flores wasn't directly part of, but lived close to. And investigators say unauthorized, untraceable communication occurred for at least four days before a parental waiver was signed- a waiver that has since been revoked. [Middle School teacher arrested under Kentucky’s new grooming law, one day into the new school yearDetectives say a Graves County Middle School teacher was charged after an investigation revealed an inappropriate relationship with a minor. “I’m Shay McAlister, and this is Shay Informed: an independent, ad-free platform dedicated to honest journalism with compassion and clarity. Are you new here? Sign up for the![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/8c/19/8c19890d-f21a-4442-8055-5db9783cac58/content/images/icon/Profile-Pic_2-copy-751733b0-a89e-4cd1-a74d-8bed33478ad4.png)Shay InformedShay McAlister![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/8c/19/8c19890d-f21a-4442-8055-5db9783cac58/content/images/thumbnail/photo-1587483166702-bf9aa66bd791-43c615da-9e17-44fb-8e7e-e411488f5c8a)](https://www.shayinformed.com/middle-school-teacher-arrested-under-kentuckys-new-grooming-law-one-day-into-the-new-school-year/) ## Why this case matters beyond Flores This dismissal isn't just about one case- it goes to the heart of what Kentucky's new grooming law was actually built to do. When I [covered House Bill 4 back in January,](https://www.shayinformed.com/kentucky-awmakers-push-to-criminalize-child-grooming-before-abuse-occurs/) before it became law, prosecutors and lawmakers were explicit about the gap they were trying to close: behavior that doesn't rise to the level of sexual solicitation or assault, but is "clearly inappropriate and clearly designed to lead to such things," as Commonwealth's Attorney Louis Kelly put it at the time. That's precisely the kind of behavior described in the Flores citation- secretive communication, manipulation, escalating emotional intimacy, deliberate efforts to work around parental oversight. On paper, it reads like close to a textbook description of what lawmakers said they wanted this law to catch. So if a case with these specific facts doesn't clear the bar for probable cause, it raises a real question: how high is that bar actually going to be in practice? Earlier this year, the people behind the law said that the law was written with "a high burden on law enforcement and a high burden on prosecution" by design- specifically so it wouldn't sweep up innocent conversations. That was intentional. But a dismissal this early, at the probable cause stage, suggests prosecutors and investigators may still be working out exactly what kind of evidence- and how much of it- will actually satisfy that burden in front of a judge. I've reached out to the Graves County Commonwealth's Attorney's office and to the Sheriff's Office for comment on what happens next, and I'll update this story as I hear back. [Kentucky lawmakers push to criminalize child grooming before abuse occursThe legislation would fill a gap in the current law, targeting predatory behavior that leads to sexual abuse. “I’m Shay McAlister, and this is Shay Informed: an independent, ad-free platform dedicated to honest journalism with compassion and clarity. Are you new here? 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