‘There was no witch hunt’: Clinton County sheriff, wife ordered to pay $330K

FRANKFORT, Ind. — A special judge has ruled that Clinton County Sheriff Richard Kelly and his wife, Ashley Kelly, must pay back the nearly $330,000 that the couple is accused of misappropriating from the state.

Previous stories detail how Sheriff Kelly and his wife face criminal charges of official misconduct and conflict of interest relating to the couple’s use of jail commisary funds. The Kellys are accused of using their LLC, Leonne, to receive large, unauthorized payments from the Jail Commissary Fund.

Ashley Kelly served as the jail matron and commissionary manager when those questionable checks were written for Leonne, accounting for $219,634.65. Ashley Kelly owned 51% of the company Leonne, while Rich Kelly owned 49%.

The Indiana Attorney General’s Office previously accused the couple of misappropriations and diversions of public funds, vowing to recoup the hundreds of thousands of public funds diverted from the Jail Commissary Fund to the Kellys’ company.

In Attorney General Todd Rokita’s complaint, he called the funds received by the Kellys “ill-gotten gains.”

While the criminal case still remains ongoing, despite charges first being filed in 2022, a special judge ruled on Sept. 17 that the Kellys must pay back $329,360.67. Roughly $100,000 of that sum stems from audit costs.

While Sheriff Kelly has repeatedly dismissed the charges and accusations as a “political farce,” Clinton County Commissioner President Jordan Brewer called the special judge’s verdict “vindication.”

In a statement provided to Clinton County Daily News, Brewer said, “This is a day of sadness and vindication. Unfortunately, the commissioners and council were put in a position of finger pointing and criticism that ‘nothing was done wrong.’ This is a vindication that there was no witch hunt. Those who are elected are trusted to follow the law. This verdict shows that some things were not done correctly. No one is winning and it is unfortunate for the county.”  

While Rich Kelly still serves as sheriff of Clinton County, he previously announced interest in running against Jordan Brewer for county commissioner. Meanwhile, in March, Ashley Kelly announced her own bid for sheriff to take over after her husband’s term ends.

FOX59/CBS4 has reached out to the Kellys for comment.