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Ohio's Attorney General is working to have Pike County Sheriff Charles Reader removed from his post as county sheriff while he face allegations of theft in office and evidence tampering.
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Attorney General Dave Yost says he is filing paperwork with the state's supreme court to begin proceedings for the Sheriff's removal. Sheriff Reader has said he is not resigning.
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In a statement on Tuesday, Yost said "Sheriff Reader violated the public's trust when he used his office to benefit himself rather than the public. Under these circumstances, I don't see how he can be an effective law enforcement officer."
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Sheriff Reader was indicted last week by the Pike County Grand Jury on felony charges of theft, theft in office, tampering with evidence and securing writing by deception. He also faces several misdemeanor counts of conflict of interest.
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The case against the Sheriff comes from last November when an anonymous source made allegations of theft and misconduct to the Ohio Auditor's Office. That unidentified source alleged Sheriff Reader had been using money from drug siezures to fund a gambling habit.
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Sheriff Reader appeared in court on Tuesday morning and pleaded not guilty to the charges.
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Visiting Judge Chris Martin imposed an electronic gag order on the case and also ordered the Sheriff to stay away from all witnesses and to surrender his keys to the courthouse.
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A statement from the Sheriff's office last week said the Sheriff has "no comment on the events but would like to ensure the public that the office will continue to provide their normal law enforcement services to the public without interruption."