A Kentucky detention center employee was fired and is now facing charges after he appeared on an internet livestream making racist statements while in uniform and on jail property.
Zachary Behlke, a 20-year-old deputy who worked at the LaRue County Detention Center, was fired after he appeared on an online dating show that was livestreamed on Nov. 30, then uploaded to TikTok the day after, according to The News-Enterprise.
During the livestream, Behlke was seen in his detention center uniform and telling viewers he was on duty. He was also inside the control room of the jail at the time of the broadcast.
When the host of the show began reading some messages Behlke allegedly sent in July 2025 that contained racist and derogatory content, Behlke denied the accusation.
However, the former deputy still used obscene, racist, and threatening language at one individual on the livestream, then spouted off some racial slurs, and made statements like, “Yeah, I don’t like Black people, they’re stupid.”
Jail officials were made aware of the livestream the same day it was posted to TikTok and fired Behlke for violating the detention center’s code of ethics and social media policy and procedures.
The case was then referred to local law enforcement for further investigation and potential charges.
The Hodgenville Police Department confirmed in a news release that Behlke was arrested by the Kentucky State Police on Dec. 3 and charged with first-degree official misconduct and third-degree terroristic threatening.
He was booked into the Grayson County Detention Center. He’s scheduled to appear in court next on Jan. 28.
Behlke was hired by the LaRue Detention Center in September 2025. Jail policy dictates that any staff member under the age of 21 cannot supervise inmates. Officials confirmed that Behlke never directly supervised inmates and had a limited duty capacity.
He was also under a probationary period at the time he appeared on the livestream, according to the Lexington Herald-Leader.
