The City of Athens was swept in a wave of controversy at the beginning of 2014 when its sheriff, Pat Kelly, was indicted on 25 criminal charges.
Those charges were served to Kelly by Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine on Jan. 31 at a news conference in Athens.
Kelly used his position of power “as a means to enrich himself personally” his entire time in office since his 2008 election, DeWine said, according to a previous Post article.
Kelly’s time in office — at least temporarily — ended when the state investigation began. For now, it’s taking place behind closed doors because a gag order was issued.
The culmina- tion of that investigation — Kelly’s criminal trial — was on tap for this fall. But a summertime judicial decision threw a curveball that pushes back that date.
Visiting Judge Patricia Ann Cosgrove, who is handling Kelly’s case in place of Athens County Common Pleas Court Judge on Feb. 19 by a panel of retired judges appointed by Ohio Supreme Court Justice Maureen O’Connor because of local conflict of interest, announced in July that the suspended sheriff’s trial will be postponed from Sept. 29 to Jan. 26, nearly one year after the indictment was filed.
She said that one of Kelly’s current attorneys, Scott P. Wood, requested more time to review court documents. Cosgrove has gagged attorneys work- ing the case, so it is unclear why Kelly changed his counsel.
Kelly, 63, was suspended last winter on Feb. 19 by a panel of retired judges appointed by Ohio Supreme Court Justice Maureen O'Conner.
Prior to the commission’s decision, Kelly maintained that he would not step aside. Even so, he did not contest his suspension.
Since his suspension, Rodney Smith has been selected as the Interim Replacement County Sheriff and will serve until Kelly’s verdict is determined. The county currently is paying Smith and Kelly each an annual salary of $69,372.
The Athens County Commissioners held meetings in March to discuss options for an interim sheriff, who will serve until the Athens County Democratic Party can pick a replacement, according to a previous Post article. The commis- sioner’s decision was between Smith and Sheriff’s Detective Lt. Jack Taylor.
“There’s some (taxpayer) cost (covering the investigation), but we don’t have the exact number,” Athens County Commissioner Lenny Eliason said in a previous Post article, without specifying what exactly taxpayers are paying for. Commissioner Charlie Adkins added in the article, “With 23 felonies, I think (the costs) could be up there.”
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