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Athens County Sheriff’s Office Has Until 4 p.m. Friday To Avoid Contempt Charges

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The Athens County Common Pleas Court was the site of the next step of the case against Athens County Sheriff Pat Kelly Friday.

Judge Patricia Cosgrove held the Athens County Sheriff's Office in contempt of court at a hearing, with the stipulation that if Kelly's office complies with the subpoena by 4 p.m. Friday, she will purge the contempt finding. The defense said it had complied with all the subpoenas issued against the sheriff's office.

The subpoenas call for turning over of specific records, which Kelly has previously called "oppressive." In the same interview with The Athens Messenger, Kelly said his staff would have to scan 15,000 documents and provide them to the court, which is "difficult with a staff of four."

Friday's hearing was delayed almost an hour, and no testimony was given, which likely means the "parties involved" negotiated this settlement prior to the hearing.

Cosgrove set the sheriff's trial date for Sept. 29, 2014 at 9 a.m. and also issued a gag order, forbidding attorneys to speak to the media about any details of the case.