On Thursday, 23 July 2026, RealClearPolitics national correspondent Susan Crabtree reported on X that a senior U.S. Secret Service agent and polygraph operator named Kenneth Premo had been arrested. Excerpt:
A senior Secret Service agent named Kenneth Premo, who currently serves as a polygrapher, was arrested the day after the 4th of July (or in the early morning hours of July 5) and charged with a DWI, assault on a law enforcement officer, and sexual battery in Sheffield County, Virginia. (I’ve attached the arrest documents and Premo’s embarrassing mugshot below. I’m told he was in a vehicular accident — hence the bandages).
Premo is a longtime Secret Service agent — having served in Secret Service since 2010, including on at least one top protective detail, according to his LinkedIn page (which appears to have been taken down).
At the time of writing, a LinkedIn profile for U.S. Secret Service Special Agent Kenneth Premo remains online, but apart from the time his Secret Service employment began (October 2010), it provides no career details.
Contrary to Crabtree’s reporting, Premo was charged for DWI in Stafford County, not Sheffield County (there is no Sheffield County in Virginia) and for assault on an officer and sexual battery in the independent city of Fredericksburg. In addition, Virginia court records show an offense date of 5 July 2026 and an arrest date of 6 July 2026.
The charge of “DWI, 1ST,” a misdemeanor, is Case Number GC26010959-00 in the Stafford General District Court. An adjudicatory hearing is scheduled for 13 August 2026 at 10:00 A.M.
The charge of “ASSLT: ON LAW ENF/DOC PERSON,” a felony, is Case Number GC26004466-00 in the Fredericksburg General District Court. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for 3 September 2026 at 10:00 A.M.
The charge of “BATTERY, SEXUAL,” a misdemeanor, is Case Number GC26004467-00 in the Fredericksburg General District Court. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for 3 September 2026 at 10:30 A.M.
Premo, 50, of Stafford, Virginia, was released on recognizance with respect to all charges. BustedNewspaper.com, which obtained the booking photo seen above from the Rappahannock Regional Jail, describes Premo as 5’8″ and 210 pounds.
Of course, criminal charges are not proof of guilt, but if the charges against Premo are substantiated, it is sad to think that this man was rendering judgements on the credibility of others.
Update: The hearing in the DWI case that had been schedule for 13 August has been rescheduled for 13 October at 12:30 PM.
Will his attorney allow him to sit for a poly?
Premo is represented by attorney Thaddeus Furlong, who is a former police officer. It seems unlikely that Furlong would advise a client to sit for a polygraph examination administered by law enforcement. Whether he might refer a client for a private polygraph examination that would be conducted under terms of attorney-client privilege, with the results only to be disclosed if the client passes, is a different matter.
I was mainly talking in jest. Premo and Furlong know better than most the poly is pseudo-science.
I doubt this case will go to trial, and everything will be handled out of court. Furlong’s firm has probably contributed to many political campaigns, and he no doubt has a fat account in the favor bank. Those of us who made careers in the criminal justice system know that one does not hire a lawyer for their skills, but for their influence. Premo will probably admit fault and sit through some psycho-babble sessions.
People who “failed” one of Premo’s polys will use this incident, probably along with the mug shot, to vacate the results of their polys. I know I would. Premo is probably at the lowest point of his professional life. Nothing is more humiliating for anyone working in the criminal justice system than to find themselves on the other side. Therefore, let me say something positive about Premo. I could find no reference of him being another fake Ph.D.