Construction site accident takes life of former Powell County judge-executive

The Kentucky State Police (KSP) post in Richmond is investigating a construction site accident at a middle school in Jackson County on Tuesday that took the life of a former Powell County judge-executive.

The KSP said just before 11:15 a.m. on Tuesday, it received a call from the McKee Police Department requesting investigative assistance regarding a construction worker involved in McKee at the Jackson County Middle School.

The initial investigation revealed James D. Anderson, 48, from Stanton, was unloading storm drain tiles from a low-boy equipment trailer when he fell off and struck the ground. He was taken to a London hospital where he later died. Foul play is not suspected.

The Powell County Detention Center shared a Facebook post of a photo of an American flag at half-staff to honor Anderson. The jail said Anderson was a good man dedicated to his family and doing the right thing in the post.

“His passing has left a hole in our community that we could never fill, and a grief we feel in every creek, hill and holler stretching across Powell County,” the Powell County Detention Center said in the Facebook post. “May God bless and strengthen his family, friends and those of us lucky enough to have known him.”

Anderson served as Powell County judge-executive from 2011 to 2023, according to the Kentucky County Judge/Executive Association’s website.

The ongoing investigation is ongoing and is being conducted by KSP Post 7.

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