The original trial date for suspended Athens County Sheriff Pat Kelly was pushed from Sept. 29 to Jan. 26, 2015, nearly a year after his Jan. 31 indictment, according to visiting Judge Patricia Ann Cosgrove.
Cosgrove could not be reached for comment by press time regarding the reasoning for the postponing.
Kelly, 63, pleaded not guilty to the indictment, which includes 23 felony charges and 2 misdemeanors, Feb. 10 in the Athens County Common Pleas Court. His charges include theft in office, money laundering and perjury, among others.
He was placed on a $50,000 bond and is on a personal recognizance bond, which is essentially a promise between Kelly and the court that he won’t have to face incarceration so long as he attends all of his court hearings, according to a previous
Post
article.
Although Kelly’s attorney was previously Bradley Koffel, of Columbus, it was unclear as of press time why his attorneys have changed in the past few months. He is currently represented by Scott P. Wood and Alyssa L. Parrott, of Lancaster, according to court documents.
Cosgrove prohibited both parties in Kelly’s case from discussing specific case details with the media at a duel pretrial hearing and hearing for contempt March 7.
Until a verdict is reached in the case, Rodney Smith will serve as the interim sheriff during Kelly’s suspension. He was sworn into Wednesday, April 9 by Athens County Prosecutor Keller Blackburn, according to a previous
Post
article.
Kelly was placed on paid suspension by a state commission made up of three retired judges appointed by Ohio Supreme Court Justice Maureen O’Connor.
