search
Donate

News

The executive director of Athens County Job and Family Services is arrested and charged with theft in office

By:
Posted on:

< < Back to woub

ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB) — The executive director of Athens County Job and Family Services was arrested Friday morning on a charge of theft in office.

Jean Demosky was arraigned on the felony charge Friday afternoon in Athens County Court of Common Pleas.

Athens County Prosecutor Keller Blackburn said at the arraignment the investigation is ongoing and he expects additional charges to be filed.

Jean Demosky (left), the executive director of Athens County Job and Family Services, sits with her attorney at her arraignment before Judge George McCarthy in Athens County Court of Common Pleas.
Jean Demosky (left), the executive director of Athens County Job and Family Services, sits with her attorney at her arraignment before Judge George McCarthy in Athens County Court of Common Pleas. [David Forster | WOUB]
Demosky has been on leave since Wednesday. She is accused of creating a shell nonprofit using county resources, staff, buildings, equipment and funding to provide goods and services to ineligible recipients, including a member of her family. The goods and services were not paid in full by the nonprofit.

The outstanding bill from the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services for the nonprofit’s unpaid debt is over $50,000, and the expense of county staff doing work for the nonprofit is over $1 million, according to the Athens County Prosecutor’s Office.

Athens County Judge George McCarthy released Demosky on her own recognizance. Blackburn asked that Demosky’s bond be set at $1.8 million. Her attorney questioned why it needed to be that high. McCarthy acknowledged the accusations against Demosky are serious and set the bond at $500,000. He also ordered Demosky to have no contact with Job and Family Services.

The investigation was conducted by the prosecutor’s office with help from the Athens County Sheriff’s Office, the Athens County Auditor’s Office and information provided by an Ohio Department of Job and Family Service audit and by the 2025 Athens County audit team.

Blackburn said he is “grateful for the courage of the hardworking employees of Athens County Job and Family Services for coming forward and allowing the investigation to reach today’s arrest. These allegations have put the taxpayers of Athens County on the hook for over ($1 million).”