WARREN COUNTY, Ky. (LEX News) — A Tennessee man accused of fatally shooting a Kentucky State Police trooper during a traffic stop in Warren County made his first court appearance Tuesday, where a judge denied bond.
WATCH: Tenn. man accused of killing Kentucky State Police trooper ordered held without bond
Emonnie Branch, 51, of Portland, Tennessee, appeared in Warren District Court Tuesday morning. During the arraignment, Judge Kimberly Geoghegan ordered that Branch be held without bond.
Branch is scheduled to return to court Friday at 8:45 a.m. for a preliminary hearing.
According to the Warren County Regional Jail, Branch was booked into the jail shortly after midnight Tuesday, arriving at 12:40 a.m.
Kentucky State Police allege Branch shot and killed Trooper Hayden Phillips, 28, of Glasgow, during a traffic stop along Interstate 65 in Warren County on Monday afternoon.
Authorities said Branch fled the scene following the shooting and remained at large for several hours. Kentucky State Police Commissioner Phillip Burnett Jr. said Branch was arrested Monday evening in Louisville.
Branch has been charged with murder of a first responder, specifically a peace officer. Authorities also served him with an outstanding arrest warrant.
The investigation remains ongoing. No additional details about the traffic stop or the circumstances leading up to the shooting have been released.
