June 11, 1998
Sheriff facing 10-count indictment
By Jefferson Wolfe
Staff Writer
The Seneca County sheriff, already facing a misdemeanor charge, has been indicted by a grand jury on 10 felony counts.
The sheriff and two of his employees were indicted for allegedly intimidating an unspecified witness in a criminal action.
Sheriff H. Weldin Neff is charged with seven counts of intimidation, a third-degree felony, and three counts of theft in office, a fifth-degree felony. The charges stem from incidents that allegedly took place March 24-April 3.
Court documents accuse Neff of attempting to influence, intimidate or hinder a witness involved in a criminal action or proceeding knowingly and by threat of harm to a person or property.
Administrative Assistant Barbara Gracemeyer is charged with one count each of theft in office and intimidation and Lt. James Browning is charged with a count of intimidation. The incidents in which Browning and Gracemeyer are charged, as well as two of the Neff charges, allegedly took place April 15.
As to the theft in office charges, Gracemeyer and Neff are accused of using their offices in committing the alleged offenses.
The indictments came from grand jury proceedings May 28, stemming from an investigation by Special Prosecutor Terry Hord. Gracemeyer and Browning were served Wednesday with the paperwork, which also contained Neff's charges.
''These charges will be vigorously defended,'' said Dean Henry, Neff's personal attorney. ''He denies all the allegations.''
Of the charges, which he called ridiculous, Henry said, ''It's a long walk from the grand jury to the courtroom.''
The indictment paperwork does not list who was intimidated, other than it was allegedly a witness in a criminal action.
''The charges are purposely ambiguous,'' Henry said. ''It puts out in the public eye all these allegations that it doesn't specify. It's unfortunate that it's coloring a lot of people's reputations.''
Hord said he would not comment on the nature of the allegations and would not say who had been intimidated.
''I have never litigated a case in the media,'' he said.
Hord said that information would be available when he files a bill of particulars in the future.
Henry said the credibility of the department is being undermimed by the recent allegations.
Neff and former volunteer Dennis Smith were indicted by the same grand jury April 9 on misdemeanor charges of intimidating by stalking and of complicity on allegations they stalked former dispatcher Alice Dohner. Dohner since has filed a $5 million federal lawsuit against Neff, Smith and the county in connection with the same allegations.
Hord also oversaw indictment of James Panuto, a former special deputy, on charges he tresspassed April 12, 1997, in the home of Jerry and Pamela Priddy, 2011 W. CR 592.
They are scheduled to appear in court June 18.