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A Kentucky detention center deputy has been terminated and now faces criminal charges after appearing on a livestream dating show in uniform, making racist remarks, and threatening others while on jail property, per Atlanta Black Star.
Zachary Behlke, 20, who was employed at the LaRue County Detention Center, appeared on an online dating show livestream in November 2025. The broadcast showed Behlke, who claimed he was on duty at the time, wearing his detention center uniform inside the jail’s control room.
During the show, the host read racist messages allegedly sent by Behlke in July 2025. Although Behlke denied sending those messages, he proceeded to hurl threatening and racist remarks during the livestream.
At one point, Behlke reportedly said, “Yeah, I don’t like Black people, they’re stupid.”
Behlke was fired the same day for violating the detention center’s code of ethics and social media policies. The Hodgenville Police Department confirmed that Behlke was arrested by the Kentucky State Police in December 2025 and charged with first-degree official misconduct and third-degree terroristic threatening. He was booked into the Grayson County Detention Center and is scheduled to appear in court on January 28.
Behlke had been hired by the LaRue County Detention Center in September 2025 and was still under a probationary period at the time of the incident. Jail policy prohibits staff under the age of 21 from supervising inmates. However, officials said Behlke never had direct supervision over inmates and served only in a limited duty capacity.
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