Athens County Sheriff Pat Kelly pleaded not guilty Monday in Athens County Common Pleas Court to all 25 counts of an indictment he was served last month by a special grand jury, called to convene by Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine.
His pretrial is set for Feb 28.
Kelly was ordered to report to the Southeastern Ohio Regional Jail to take fingerprints and a booking photo, but he wouldn't have to stay at the jail because of a "personal recognizance bond," which is essentally a promise between Kelly and the court that he will appear for future trial dates.
If he doesn't show up for a hearing, he could be arrested and sent to jail. His bond is set at $50,000.
The sheriff has previously told The Post that he does not plan to step down from office, even as DeWine moved last week for the Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice to begin proceedings to decide whether or not to suspend Kelly.
The state argues that Kelly used his public office to “enrich himself personally,” and that he sought to “achieve unlawful goals” as an elected official.
Kelly is accused of theft, perjury and money laundering, among other charges. He was indicted late last month on 25 criminal charges, 23 of which were felonies.
— The Post staff
@ThePostLocal
This is a developing story. Stick with The Post and @ThePostLocal for updates.
