Landon Smith has been accused of abusing his power more than once during his 35-plus years as sheriff of Noble County.
Still, the people have re-elected him time and again, often with voter support in the 70 percent range.
But on Friday, Smith, 66, resigned from the post, facing charges of nepotism and conflict of interest after a six-month investigation by the Ohio Ethics Commission. He is expected to plead guilty to those counts on June 3, when they are formally filed with the Noble County clerk of courts, according to special prosecutor Dave Yost.
Following a press conference announcing Smith's resignation, county Commissioner Virgil Thompson described him as the "Andy Taylor of Noble County."
"He was a legend in his own time," added Commissioner Bob Nau. "He knew everybody, their kids and their grandkids."
A special election is expected to be held for sheriff in 2010, and voters won't be able to return Smith to the job he had for more than three decades, even if they wanted to do so.
"Once convicted, he will be ineligible to hold a peace officer position again," Yost said. "He could potentially run for another office, but not one requiring peace officer certification."
The resignation and expected plea are part of an agreement with Yost, the Delaware County prosecutor. He was asked to oversee the investigation by his Noble County counterpart, Clifford Sickler.
Paul Nick, chief investigating attorney with the Ohio Ethics Commission, said the commission was contacted in November with allegations of improprieties within the Noble County Sheriff's Office.
"The prosecutor in this county received a referral from the Ohio Ethics Commission last week, and we believe this pattern of practice has been continuing for a long time," Nick said.
Yost said the investigation resulted in a fourth-degree felony charge of unlawful interest in a public contract and a first-degree misdemeanor charge of conflict of interest against Smith. Yost said the felony charge carries a potential six to 18 months of jail time and a fine of up to $2,500. The misdemeanor charge could bring an additional 180 days in jail and a $1,000 fine.
Yost said the felony charge stemmed from Smith's hiring of relatives, including his wife, Peggy Smith, who has been a sheriff's deputy for 18 years. Although she's not facing any charges, Peggy Smith also resigned on Friday.
Smith's daughter-in-law is also employed with the sheriff's department, but Yost said she was not implicated in the investigation and continues to work at the office.
The misdemeanor charge resulted from Landon Smith's alleged use of sheriff's department vehicles to transport inmates to his home where they performed garden and lawn chores for the sheriff.
Yost said investigators also photographed a sheriff's department vehicle driven by Peggy Smith for personal use in a Wal-Mart parking lot with a child's safety seat that had been installed in the back.
The Smiths could not be reached for comment Friday.
Also on Friday, Noble County commissioners appointed Steve Hannum, a detective with the sheriff's department, to serve as interim sheriff. Hannum has been with the department since 1996.
"It's a sad day for Noble County," Hannum said following his appointment.
"Landon Smith contributed to this community in many ways we won't ever know," he said. "It's unfortunate that Landon lost focus on what he was elected to do.
"But I look forward to working with the commissioners," Hannum added. "I'll be my own man and will leave my own footprints in the sand."
The commissioners said they had two officers who were qualified to take Smith's place, Hannum or patrolman Jason Mackie.
Nau noted that, according to state code, the county's Democratic Executive Committee would have to officially appoint Hannum in not less than five days nor more than 45 days following Smith's resignation. He said the committee could choose another appointee, but because only two men were qualified, the commissioners assume the committee will go along with Hannum's appointment.
It isn't the first time Smith has faced a felony charge of abusing his position as sheriff.
In 1984, he was indicted on a third-degree felony count of theft in office, based on nearly 1,300 phone calls a special prosecutor labeled as personal, which cost the county more than $3,000. A jury exonerated him in January of 1985.
Just four days after being indicted, Smith was re-elected, receiving 70 percent of the vote.
In 2003, a Monroe County judge complained that Smith was using an inmate from Monroe County housed at the Noble County jail as a cook at a restaurant the sheriff owned in Belle Valley. Smith said the man had been doing electrical work, and the matter was settled after Sickler reached an agreement with the judge that Monroe County inmates could not be trustees without the judge's approval.
On Friday, Sickler called Smith "a bulwark of law enforcement in Noble County.
"But some things spiraled out of control, and someone has to be held accountable," he said.
