March 17, 2000
Neff fires 2 employees
By Jefferson Wolfe
Staff Writer
Two of the three Seneca County Sheriff's Office employees who were on administrative leave pending the sheriff's trial were fired Thursday, including the Democratic candidate for sheriff.
Dennis Brady and Tim Thwaits were fired by Sheriff H. Weldin Neff. They, along with Jail Administrative Assistant Nancy Porter, have been on administrative leave since December 1998, when a trial on intimidation and theft-in-office charges involving Neff and two other employees was halted for a prosecution appeal. All three testified during the trial, after which Neff, Lt. James Browning and Administrative Assistant Barb Gracemyer were found innocent
Since September, while on administrative leave, Brady, Thwaits and Porter have been working for Seneca County Common Pleas Court.
Brady is a candidate for sheriff and had been the jail administrator since the opening of the Seneca County Jail in 1994. He could not be reached for comment Thursday night.
Thwaits had been a major and at one time was second-in-command at the sheriff's office.
Neff said the firing was not in retaliation for their testimony in his trial.
"They are unclassified (employees) and therefore serve at the pleasure of the elected official," he said.
"Effective immediately upon receipt of this communication, you are relieved of all duties as an employee of the Seneca County Sheriff's office, and you employment is terminated," letters to both state.
There will be people hired to fill the vacated positions, he said.
Neff said he had consulted with Gortz and Associates, a company the provides consulting services to the county, Columbus attorney Bob Willard, who represents the county is civil cases, and his personal attorney, and all advised him to fire Brady and Thwaits.
Neff said he met with the county commissioners Thursday morning to see if other county employment was available for Brady and Thwaits, but there was not.
Porter's duties have not been defined.
"I guess at this point, she'll be reporting back here Monday," Neff said.