Clinton County Sheriff Richard Kelly Resigns After He, Wife Plead Guilty

Clinton County Sheriff Richard Kelly has resigned as he and his wife Ashley both pled guilty to charges after they were accused of using a company to get paid from the jail's commissary fund. He pled guilty to one charge of official misconduct and one charge of conflict of interest and was sentenced to two-and-a-half-years in prison, which was suspended to one year of probation. She pled guilty to conflict of interest and will be on probation for 180 days. Ashley Kelly is the former Clinton County Jail matron. They were previously ordered to pay nearly 330-thousand-dollars back to the state.

In a related note, the Clinton County Republican Party has begun the process of selecting a replacement to finish Kelly's term, in accordance with Indiana law. Until a new sheriff is selected, Chief Deputy Shawn Mayfield will serve as acting sheriff.