Athens County Sheriff Pat Kelly pleaded not guilty Monday to a 25 count public corruption indictment.
The charges include theft in office, tampering with records and engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity. Kelly was released Monday on a personal recognizance bond ahead of a pretrial hearing on February 28th. Kelly is accused of improperly using public funds to buy meals and personal apparel, selling county property to a scrap yard, stealing copper wire from a county garage and failing to keep a cash book tracking money he received in an official capacity. The indictment also alleges his campaign failed to properly report donations and funneled money through a personal bank account.