Jan. 19 hearing date set for Gallatin sheriff

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[A Jan. 19 preliminary hearing date has been set in the Jackson County murder-for-hire case against the Gallatin County sheriff, his wife and son.

Sheriff Raymond Martin, 47, his wife, Kristina, 36, and son, Cody, 20, all are accused of soliciting murder-for-hire in Jackson County. Kristina and Cody Martin were arrested Saturday while visiting Raymond Martin at the Jackson County jail.

A source close to the investigation told WSIL-TV the Martin family was trying to have two witnesses in the sheriff's upcoming federal drug-trafficking trial killed, according to the television station's Web site. The Jackson County state's attorney's office has not yet commented on the case.

The Martins are held at the Jackson County jail on $1 million bond.

Solicitation of murder-for-hire is a Class X felony punishable by 20 to 40 years in the Department of Corrections.

Sheriff Martin, whose term ends in November, was arrested May 18 at his office on the federal drug-related charges. He was indicted by a federal grand jury in June on three charges of distribution of marijuana and two charges of carrying a firearm during a drug-trafficking crime. He pleaded innocent to an additional charge of conspiracy in September. He is held without bond on the drug charges.

-- The Associated Press contributed to this report.