The clock on the hospital room wall read nearly 11:45 p.m.
Donna Stukenborg pressed an oversized ice pack against the left side of her face. Beneath it, her left eye had already turned black, swollen shut from the abuse she suffered at the hands of a man she had an active domestic violence order against.
Her sister and brother-in-law joined her in the exam room that winter evening in 2024 at Norton Women’s and Children’s Hospital.
“What time did this happen?” Stukenborg’s sister, Paula Beam, asked Louisville Metro Police officer Earl Rinehart. The exchange was captured on his department-issued body-worn camera.
“So the initial 911 call came in probably around 7 o’clock, I think,” Rinehart said.
“Oh, you’re kidding,” Stukenborg said in disbelief, looking at the officer with her uncovered right eye while gripping the ice pack with both hands.
A dispatch log, a police report, a later lawsuit, and LMPD’s own internal investigation all show that the 911 call came in at 6:13 p.m.
“And we’re so short-staffed, we didn’t get to it until like two hours later,” Rinehart continued as Stukenborg glanced at her sister, both of them stunned. “That’s how bad we’re short-staffed.”
“So that went on for a long time then,” Beam said.
“Yeah, I thought it was for like three hours,” Stukenborg replied.
Police reports and other documents indicate the response to that 911 call did not occur until after 9 p.m.
Rinehart added, “Domestics are very high-priority calls for us …”
Jan. 12 marked two years since Stukenborg was beaten for three hours by Richard “Scott” Gregory. The assault left her with multiple facial fractures and a life-threatening brain bleed.
It has been one year since Stukenborg filed a lawsuit alleging that officers from LMPD’s Fifth Division and the MetroSafe emergency call center failed to respond to a domestic violence call for more than three hours, despite being aware of an active domestic violence order against Gregory.
Nearly two months have passed since Gregory accepted a plea deal that will result in a 10-year prison sentence.
As part of the ongoing civil case, Stukenborg’s attorneys have submitted 17 new exhibits into the court record. The exhibits, shared digitally, provide additional detail about the events of Jan. 12, 2024, and the response by LMPD and MetroSafe.
The exhibits include four video clips, one audio clip, and written transcripts for each. They also contain PDFs of the 911 call transcript, the EMS computer-aided dispatch log, a MetroSafe standard operating procedure, and LMPD SOP 8.6.9. Three photographs are included as well: a highlighted screenshot from a JC-3 domestic violence report, a screenshot from body camera footage, and an image of blood-covered flooring.
Attorneys representing LMPD and MetroSafe did not file a response to the original complaint. Instead, they asked the court to dismiss the case, arguing there was no standing because police did not owe Stukenborg a duty under sovereign immunity.
On July 24, Jefferson Circuit Judge Melissa Logan Bellows denied that motion.
County attorneys later filed a request on Aug. 14 asking Bellows to alter, amend, or vacate her ruling.
On Oct. 30, despite no new evidence being introduced, Bellows reversed her earlier decision and dismissed the case, agreeing with the county’s argument.
In November, Stukenborg’s attorneys filed their own motion to alter, amend, or vacate that dismissal.
The motion was heard Jan. 14, when Bellows said she would review the new material and issue a decision later.
Two days earlier, on Jan. 12, Stukenborg’s attorneys filed the 17 exhibits to support their claim that the court misapplied the public duty doctrine by overlooking the active domestic violence order, which they argue created a special relationship between Stukenborg and LMPD.
Taken together, the exhibits aim to show what the lawsuit describes as an unnecessarily delayed response that failed to protect a known domestic violence victim.
Audio of Canceled Run
Audio transcripts included among the exhibits appear to show a lack of urgency in LMPD’s response.
A transcript of the 911 call states that at 6:12 p.m., an upstairs neighbor reported a domestic disturbance.
Radio transcripts between dispatchers and officers include the statement: “A white female, Donna Stukenborg, and a white male holding 10-85 is a female. 10-85 I’m assuming.”
Officer Kristopher Pedigo corrected that information, stating the male was 10-85 and clarifying that Gregory had an active warrant.
A 41-second audio clip captures an officer telling dispatch to cancel two units on the run, offering to respond slowly if needed. The dispatcher replied that no officers were clear in the division.
That exchange occurred around 6:15 p.m., with the final radio transmission logged at about 6:30 p.m. EMS records show no additional dispatch activity until 9:26 p.m.
Body Camera Footage
Three exhibits consist of body-worn camera footage from Officer Rinehart, focusing on the active domestic violence order against Gregory.
The first clip is timestamped 9:40 p.m., though dispatch logs list the first unit’s arrival at 9:47 p.m.
In the 21-second clip, an officer asks Rinehart if the call involves a domestic situation. Rinehart responds that Gregory had an emergency protective order, a domestic violence order, and a history of domestic violence, noting that another officer was familiar with the case.
LMPD SOP 8.6.9 outlines that officers with probable cause to believe an order of protection has been violated must arrest the offender without a warrant after verifying the order with MetroSafe.
A second body camera clip, recorded about eight minutes later, shows an officer with a drawn weapon asking Rinehart to identify the man still inside the apartment. Rinehart identifies Gregory and mentions sharing his photo with other officers.
Evidence of the Assault
Other exhibits document the severity of the beating Stukenborg endured.
A JC-3 report narrative states officers were dispatched around 9:04 p.m. for a domestic dispute and notes that an officer was aware of an active domestic violence order and an outstanding warrant.
The report describes Stukenborg fleeing the apartment with visible injuries, including a swollen, bruised eye and active bleeding.
One photograph shows blood smeared across white tile flooring. Another image captures Stukenborg standing in a doorway at 9:24 p.m., her left eye swollen shut, blood running down her face, and red stains visible on her white shirt.
LMPD Chief Paul Humphrey Interview
On Jan. 22, 2025, Stukenborg filed the civil lawsuit alleging that LMPD and MetroSafe failed to follow required domestic violence response protocols, contributing to her injuries, brain damage, and the need for reconstructive surgery and an orbital bone prosthesis.
The following day, LMPD Chief Paul Humphrey addressed the case during a live television interview.
When asked what happened during the three-hour delay, Humphrey said the department was still investigating.
He explained that the call occurred near shift change and was held for the next shift, adding that it initially came in as a report of arguing and did not convey the severity of the injuries.
Humphrey said he initiated an investigation to determine whether accountability or procedural changes were necessary.
LMPD did not respond to a request for comment on the newly filed court exhibits.
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