Clinton County Commissioners terminate jail matron Ashley Kelly

FRANKFORT, Ind. (WISH) — The Clinton County Commissioners have terminated its county jail matron following a string of felony charges and a formal resolution from the Clinton County Council. Charges against Clinton County Sheriff Richard Kelly and Jail Matron Ashley Kelly were announced on April 9. Richard Kelly is charged with two counts of aiding, inducing, or causing fraud; a count of aiding, inducing, or causing theft; and a count of official misconduct Ashley Kelly is charged with two counts of fraud, a count of theft, and a count of official misconduct. The Kellys, who are married and also already face charges out of Clinton County , were accused of the misappropriation of funds from the Indiana State Police Pension Trust. They appeared in court last week for their Marion County case. Following the Kellys court appearance, the Clinton County Council filed a resolution that demanded the county commissioners restrict the Kellys’ access to fiscal resources and terminate them from their positions. In a meeting on Tuesday morning, the Clinton County Commissioners responded to the council’s resolution, and then some. Commissioners formally terminated Ashley Kelly’s employment, as well as approved a strengthened nepotism policy and “outlined additional steps aimed at protecting county employees, restoring workplace confidence, and ensuring accountability.” The new policy, which applies to all county employees, strictly prohibits relatives from being in a direct line of supervision over another. The policy does not apply to elected officials, but does apply to appointed and contracted employees. The policy also “explicitly applies to jail matrons.” The commissioners also outlined their next steps: Submitting a formal request to the Indiana Attorney General to garnish Sheriff Kelly’s wages to “recover approximately $219,000 owed to the county from the jail commissary account.” Present a recommendation to the Clinton County Council and Merit Board to review and adopt a “bad actor clause” in the sheriff’s pension policy. This would prevent retirement benefits following a criminal conviction. County commissioners said in a release that the Kelly situation has taken a toll on their government and their community. President Jordan Brewer said now is the time to act. ““People have asked us, ‘why now?’” Brewer said. “We’ve given Sheriff Kelly multiple opportunities to do what is right in his department, and he’s chosen to ignore that. We’ve asked for the Kellys’ resignations twice and have not received them. Considering the most recent felony charges, this is a workplace safety issue. There’s no way we can have employees feel unsafe or fear retaliation.” “It has been a rough six years,” Commissioner Bert Weaver added. “It puts us in a bad position almost every week because something doesn’t quite fit right. And quite honestly, it’s difficult to see them taking vacations while owing the county a tremendous amount of money. This has gone on long enough.” They also addressed claims that certain sheriff’s office employees were working remotely due to restraining orders against the Kellys, noting that no such work-from-home arrangements have been approved. The jury trial for Richard and Ashley Kelly is set for July 14. This is a developing story.