Henry Earl: Setting The Record Straight

SEPTEMBER 25--While we don't want to minimize the truly prodigious achievements of the oft-arrested Henry Earl, the Kentucky man did not, as has been reported, get busted for the 1000th time this week. In fact, Earl--who is prone to frequent episodes of public drunkenness--actually passed that milestone in mid-2002, according to official documents.

Relying on online records that only date back to 1992, bloggers and a Kentucky TV station noted this week that the 58-year-old Earl's rap sheet hit four digits Monday when he was nabbed on a Lexington street for public intoxication. However, pre-1992 jail records reveal that Earl has actually been arrested in Fayette County a whopping 1333 times and has spent more than 5000 days in custody.

His first arrest came in July 1970, when he was 20, for carrying a concealed weapon. Earl, pictured in this mug shot array, would go on to get busted 33 more times in the 1970s, and he racked up 230 busts during the 1980s. Click here to download a PDF compendium of Earl's arrest history from 1970-1992, which was provided by the county's Division of Community Corrections.

And if you'd like to view a typical criminal citation against Earl, who is currently incarcerated, click here. It covers his 1332nd bust, on August 31, for public intoxication. (3 pages)