Commissioners Appoint Temporary Athens County Sheriff

Athens County Commissioners have appointed a temporary replacement for indicted Sheriff Pat Kelly.Former Sheriff's lieutenant Rodney Smith will hold the job until county Democratic Party leaders appoint someone to fill out the remainder of Kelly's term. That is expected to happen on  April 8th. Smith one of the two finalists. Kelly has pleaded not guilty to a 25-count indictment. The charges include improper use of public funds to buy meals and personal apparel, selling county property to a scrap yard and stealing wire from a county garage. His trial begins in September.