Less than three weeks after his conviction, a Facebook page has been created supporting ex-sheriff Pat Kelly’s release, reaching almost 400 ‘likes.’
Nine days after its creation, a public Facebook page supporting ex-sheriff Pat Kelly — who was convicted Feb. 12 in the Athens County Common Pleas Court on 18 of 25 original charges — has reached nearly 400 ‘likes.’
The page, titled “Justice for Sheriff Kelly,” has a description stating the page is for individuals who support Kelly, and are hoping to help garner “the justice he deserves”.
Those who have ‘liked’ the group have recently been reminiscing about their favorite memories involving Kelly, sending letters of support to his wife, Debra, and are planning to attend Kelly’s sentencing in the Common Pleas Court on March 20 for a “peaceful demonstration.”
Kelly was found guilty for 12 counts of theft in office for the sale of county property to McKee Auto Parts & Recycling for personal profit, one count of perjury for not handing over sheriff’s office documents to the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation when asked and for lying under oath in Sept. 2013 when he said he had provided all information relating to confidential informants in court, one count for failure to keep a cashbook, three counts of theft and one count of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity.
The letters of support have been sent to Kelly’s home or to Debra’s email, with the intention of showing them to visiting Judge Patricia A. Cosgrove in an effort to sway the decision on his sentencing, which could be more than 27 years in prison.
The Facebook group further urges posters to refrain from commenting on negative posts on the page, saying they’ll be deleted.
“Arguing with those who don’t support Pat just gives them motivation to keep attacking our beloved Sheriff!” the post reads.
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The Facebook group asked in a post that those who send support letters state who they are in the community, how they know Kelly and how he influenced their life in a positive way.
While the administrator of the page remains anonymous, he or she claims to be a family friend of Kelly’s, according to a Facebook post.
“Once our Sheriff is set free, then yes, I will tell everyone who I am!” one post said.
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Among the citizens’ posts detailing favorite stories involving Kelly are pictures of Kelly when he was sheriff with the hashtag #justiceforsheriffkelly on the bottom.
Athens Sheriff Rodney Smith declined to comment about the Facebook page.
@Fair3Julia
jf311013@ohio.edu
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