WKYT Investigates: Doug Harless case file released

LAUREL COUNTY, Ky. (WKYT) - London police officers went to the wrong home before killing Doug Harless on Dec. 23, 2024, according to the Kentucky State Police case file obtained after more than a year of requests.

[WATCH WKYT INVESTIGATES’ 30 MINUTE SPECIAL ‘DEATH OF DOUG HARLESS: CASE FILE RELEASED’ ABOVE]

The search warrant officers were attempting to serve was for 489 Vanzant Road. Harless lived at 511 Vanzant Road.

Officers shot and killed Harless just before midnight, two days before Christmas. The case file shows Detective Josh Morgan shot Harless five times after officers knocked down his door. Officers said Harless pointed a gun at them.

Nearly a dozen London police officers surrounded Harless’ home that night. Harless’ family said he was asleep inside when officers arrived.

The search warrant

The search warrant clearly lists the address as 489 Vanzant Road. The warrant was signed by Judge John P. Chappell at 10:57 p.m. on Dec. 23.

Officers were at Harless’ home to serve a warrant tied to the theft of lawn equipment from property belonging to Laurel County Judge Executive David Westerfield. The suspect in that theft, Hobert Buttery, was already in custody at the time of Harless’ death.

Dispatch audio obtained by WKYT in the days after the shooting indicated officers called for assistance at 489 Vanzant Road, not Harless’ address of 511.

Despite WKYT Investigates’ repeated attempts, police refused to confirm whether officers were at the wrong home before the case file was released.

What led to the warrant

Hobert Buttery was arrested at 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 23, about four hours before Harless was shot. He was accused of stealing a weed eater and other lawn equipment from Westerfield’s property along Taylor Drive in London.

During his interview with London Police, Buttery said he took a heater to a pawn shop and gave the weed eater to a man who previously lived on Vanzant Road. Buttery told officers he couldn’t remember the street name but could show them where the man lived.

Buttery told WKYT in January 2025 that he did not tell officers the lawn equipment was at Harless’ home.

[WATCH: WKYT’s Samantha Valentino sits down with Hobery Buttery]

Detective Elbert Riley wrote the search warrant after Buttery’s interview.

Potential policy violations

London Police Department policy states a search warrant affidavit should particularly describe the house or place to be searched, including address and physical description of the exterior. The policy says a photo is “often an invaluable aid.”

Riley told Kentucky State Police investigators he did not take photographs of the house for the search warrant.

The warrant Riley wrote describes the home as a white double-wide trailer with a covered front porch, sitting off the roadway with a gravel driveway. It says the home sits vertical to the roadway. No photo was included.

London officers told investigators they used Apple Maps, Google Street View, the Laurel County PVA, and personal observation by one detective to identify the location to be searched.

Kentucky State Police investigators said they conducted their own searches for 511 Vanzant Road, and none of them accurately identified Harless’ home.

Riley told investigators he pulled up a picture of the house they planned to search on a big screen for all officers involved to review before heading to Vanzant Road. He said that image was of Harless’ home.

London Police Department policy requires a supervisor to approve the service of a search warrant and act as the Search Supervisor in charge of on-scene execution. The policy also requires the designation of an Entry Team Leader.

The Search Supervisor is responsible for reviewing the warrant and affidavit, determining how many people and what equipment is needed, and positively identifying the location to be searched prior to execution.

The Entry Team Leader has the authority to stop entry at any time if there is any doubt about whether a correct entry is about to be made.

A review of Kentucky State Police interviews with the officers involved found none mentioned the assignment of a Search Supervisor or Entry Team Leader.

The shooting

Surveillance video from a neighbor shows several officers approaching Harless’ home just before midnight on December 23, 2024. Officers are heard announcing themselves.

Detective Morgan and Detective Wes Wolfe were the only officers who saw Harless before he was shot, according to officer interviews with Kentucky State Police.

The two officers said they banged on the door and announced themselves several times. Morgan said Harless responded, but officers couldn’t make out what he was saying.

Wolfe told investigators he saw Harless standing in the doorway with a handgun pointed at them as soon as the door opened.

The case file says Morgan shot Harless five times. The shots hit Harless’ head, neck, torso, heart, and extremities.

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Wrong address discovered

Detective Ashley Taylor told Kentucky State Police investigators that she looked up on the side of the house and saw the marking of 511, after Harless was shot. She said she went to Lieutenant Drew Jackson and told him it was not the correct address.

Taylor said when officers first arrived on scene, it was pitch black. She said a floodlight came on after the shooting, which is when she saw the address.

Surveillance video from a neighbor appears to show the floodlight came on as officers approached Harless’ home, before the shooting.

Taylor also told investigators that she was late arriving at the scene, and other officers were already making their way towards Harless’ home as she was getting out of her cruiser.

Kentucky State Police investigators photographed Harless’ home after the shooting. The photos show the address — 511 — visible just below a motion-activated light.

Taylor told investigators the trailer looked like what she had seen online, including on the Laurel County PVA’s website. She said the image of the trailer matched, but the number did not.

Grand jury decision

A grand jury chose not to indict any of the officers involved in Harless’ death in February. The grand jury’s decision not to indict anyone cleared the way for Kentucky State Police to release the case file.

[MORE: Grand jury makes indictment decision in Doug Harless shooting death]

Kentucky State Police makes it clear their role in investigating officer-involved shootings is to gather and present the facts of what happened, not to recommend criminal charges or advise on administrative action.

Lawsuit and potential federal investigation

The Harless family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the city of London, the London Police Department, and the officers involved. The lawsuit remains in federal court.

The lawsuit claims Harless’ constitutional rights were violated and makes several claims of excessive search, gross negligence, and wrongful death.

Attorney Howard Mann, who represents the Harless family, said many of the files they’ve received are corrupted or heavily redacted. He said their team of attorneys has yet to receive unredacted photos from inside Harless’ home.

Mann questioned why London police chose to serve a warrant tied to stolen lawn equipment close to midnight.

Thirteen elected Laurel County officials wrote to the FBI and Department of Justice asking them to determine whether Harless’ civil rights were violated.

In February, WKYT’s Samantha Valentino asked FBI Director Kash Patel whether he’d received the letter from Laurel County leaders, and about the possibility of the agency looking into Harless’ death.

“I don’t have personal knowledge of the letter, but I’m sure if it was sent, it was received,” Patel said. “What we do with any request or inquiry like that is there’s a process with the FBI to review the matter with our state and local authorities and our partners at the Department of Justice, and then they’ll make a decision on whether or not, based on the facts of the law, any sort of inquiry is further required, and we’ll look at it.”

[MORE: FBI director responds to Laurel County letter requesting inquiry into Doug Harless death]

Harless’ daughters also submitted a civil rights complaint. The U.S. Attorney’s Office told WKYT Investigates they are looking into the inquiry but don’t have a comment at this time.