Athens County Sheriff Pat Kelly has decided not to contest the preliminary decision by a Ohio Supreme Court-appointed commission reccommending his temporary suspension from duty.
To find his temporary replacement, Athens County Commissioners plan to hold a special meeting Thursday morning at 10 a.m., according to a release from the commissioners.
The replacement will serve until the Athens County Democratic Party can pick a replacement, according to a release from the commissioners.
"I have full confidence in my staff and employees that they will continue at the same high level of professionalism and dedication during my absence," said Kelly, in a prepared statement to media.
Kelly plans to spend time preparing for his court case in September, he added.
The two people being considered for his replacement are retired Lt. Rodney Smith and Sheriff’s Detective Lt. Jack Taylor. They have both filed applications with Athens County Democratic Party Chair Kathy Hecht.
Commissioner Lenny Eliason confirmed the commissioners will be interviewing only Smith and Talyor for the job tomorrow during the session.
After Kelly's Jan. 31 indictment on 25 counts, including 23 felonies, a special commission was appointed Feb. 19 to determine whether or not he should be suspended during the trial.
The three justices on the commission include: retired judges John F. Bender, Neal B. Bronson and Jennifer L. Sargus.
Despite confirmation from the commissioners about their intention to appoint an interim sheriff, the Ohio Supreme Court is forbidden from releasing information before the official end of the special commission hearing, according to Ohio Revised Code secion 3.16.
"There is nothing to report at this time," Ohio Supreme Court Spokesman Chris Davies said in an email. "The statute prohibits the release of information until the special commission completes its work and issues a final report, which it has not yet done."
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—Olivia Bower contributed to this report.
