Trial set for Kentucky man charged after ‘torture chamber’ discovery

LONDON, Ky. (FOX 56) — A trial date has been set for the man with a so-called “torture chamber” on his property.

Scottie Shelton, 53, faces multiple charges on the state and federal levels, from drug trafficking to the illegal taking of wildlife.

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He had reportedly served as an informant for the Drug Enforcement Administration due to his alleged ties to the eastern Kentucky drug trade. When agents paid him a visit on Aug. 12, they made a gut-churning discovery.

In an affidavit obtained by FOX 56, Special Agent David Wilson recalled smelling “a strong and pungent odor,” similar to that of a “decaying corpse,” emanating from a white sheet metal building. Inside, detectives found “a cell-like room that appeared to be a torture chamber” complete with handcuffs, rope, and several guns. Downstairs, deputies found a deer carcass in another room with “a lot of disturbed earth.”

Court documents show detectives recovered:

• A bobcat skull
• 2 mounted bobcats
• A hawk’s head and feet
• 20 deer skulls and caps
• A turkey beard under seven inches
• A turkey beard under 10 inches
• A turkey beard attached to the feet and spurs under an inch
• A turkey beard attached to the feet and spurs over an inch
• 83 guns
• Four homemade silencers
• Two ballistic vests
• 6,000 pills believed to be oxycodone
• Around 1,200 grams of methamphetamine
• Possible “human bone“

In court on Sept. 2, Shelton pleaded not guilty to possessing with the intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine, possession of an unregistered destructive device, and firearm possession in furtherance of drug trafficking.

According to court documents, a jury trial will commence at 8:30 a.m. on Nov. 10. It’s expected to last only two days.