James Gentry, the Hopkinsville man who cut off his ankle monitor and failed to show up for court the day he was convicted on murder and robbery charges in Trigg County in July, has been arrested in California.
According to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office, Gentry was booked into the jail Thursday afternoon by the U.S. Marshals Office.
Gentry has been on the run since failing to show up for the final day of his trial in Trigg County Circuit Court on July 27. Prior to the start of the day in court, police alerted court officials that Gentry had cut off his ankle monitor in Hopkinsville. It was found in the 2600 block of Cox Mill Road. Gentry had been free on a reduced cash bond since March and was required to wear the monitor.
No information about Gentry’s arrest was made available by the Marshals Service or the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office.
The Trigg County jury needed only 34 minutes to return the guilty verdict in July and needed half that time to hand down a sentence of life in prison without parole for 25 years against Gentry. He was arrested shortly after the murder of Christian County resident Joey Hayes, whose body was found in a barn off Buffalo Road in eastern Trigg County in November 2018. Hayes had been shot five times.
The jury also decided that a 10-year sentence on a robbery charge would run concurrent to the murder charge. Police said Gentry pawned a ring last seen in Hayes’ possession in Russellville.
Judge Woody Woodall said it was the first time in his 15-year-career on the bench that a defendant voluntarily left their trial before the conclusion.
A warrant was issued for Gentry for violating his bond. Once he is extradited back to Kentucky, he is expected to be sentenced on the murder and robbery charges and given a court date on the bond violation charge.
