ATHENS, Ohio (AP) - Commissioners in a southeast Ohio county plan to appoint a temporary replacement for a sheriff indicted in a corruption case.
Athens County Sheriff Patrick Kelly has denied wrongdoing and vowed to fight the charges at trial in September.
The Ohio Supreme Court had a panel of judges consider whether Kelly should be suspended in the meantime. In a statement provided to local reporters Wednesday, Kelly says he won’t challenge the recommended suspension.
Commissioners are expected to choose a temporary replacement Thursday.
The charges against Kelly include theft in office, tampering with records and engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity. Kelly is suspected of improperly using public funds to buy meals and personal apparel, selling county property to a scrapyard and stealing wire from a county garage, among other allegations.
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