As Athens County Sheriff Pat Kelly was served four subpoenas Friday, a new chapter was written in the grand jury investigation into complaints of wrongdoing in his office.
Kelly must give up confidential informants, provide information about any and all investigations targeting public officials, show how many hours he has worked in the past three years and explain why copper wiring allegedly went missing under his watch.
Despite being quoted in recent news reports as saying he would stop his cooperation with the state’s investigation, Kelly said Tuesday he would fully comply; he also said, however, he had hesitations because he believes giving up confidential informants would get in the way of law enforcement efforts.
“They’re just posturing at this point,” Kelly said, adding that during a Bureau of Criminal Investigations search of his office earlier this summer, search investigators obtained copies of all Kelly’s hard drives and already obtained the documents they have subpoenaed for.
Kelly, who is legally bound by the subpoena to deliver documents to the bureau, said he plans to deliver requested documents by the Sept. 13 deadline.
Dan Tierney, a spokesman for Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine’s office, said he couldn’t confirm or deny that Kelly had formally denied complying with subpoenas.
“There is one investigation, but it is not limited in scope,” Tierney said, declining to comment further because grand jury investigations are supposed to stay secret.
But Kelly outlined in a written statement six complaints he said the state was looking into in the grand jury trial. He believes the investigation is retaliation for his outspoken opposition of Gov. John Kasich and DeWine.
The current investigation was opened after Kelly’s alleged assault of David Jenkinson, of Albany, at Kelly’s campaign fundraiser in 2012, Tierney said.
One subpoena, served Friday, commands Kelly deliver records detailing how his department dealt with recovered copper wire from a 2007 traffic stop. Another states he must provide documentation of all hours worked by himself and everyone else in his office for the last three years.
In addition to a third subpoena that requires him to name confidential informants, a fourth commands Kelly deliver records on investigations of Athens County Prosecutor Keller Blackburn, Athens County Auditor Jill Thompson, Athens County Common Pleas Court Judge L. Alan Goldsberry, and former Athens County Municipal Court Judge Douglass Bennett.
Kelly said he “could not deny that some of the investigations had taken place,” but did not provide details regarding the content of the investigations.
Blackburn could not be reached for comment at press time.
ld311710@ohiou.edu
@lucasdaprile
