Former sheriff wants out of prison

SANDUSKY — Former Sandusky County sheriff Kyle Overmyer could spend the last months of his four-year prison sentence out of a cell and in a halfway house.In a parole board hearing in May, the board recommended that Overmyer, 45, be released into a transitional housing facility.That's according to Jodi Factor, a public information officer at Allen-Oakwood Correctional Institution in Lima, where Overmyer has been serving a prison term since December 2016 on four felony charges: theft, theft in office, tampering with records and obtaining dangerous drugs by deception.The judge who sentenced Overmyer, visiting Judge Patricia Cosgrove, will not have a say in the matter. Factor said that's because Overmyer's sentence was greater than two years — if it was fewer than two years, then the judge would be involved in the decision. Factor said transitional control allows an inmate to be released from prison and placed into a halfway house, typically six to eight months before the end of their prison sentence. The inmate spends the remaining time in their sentence in that facility."There, they'll start the re-entry process," she said. "They're still under the supervision of (adult probation.)"A former Sandusky County police chief who helped expose Overmyer's wrongdoing said he's not pleased with the parole board's decision. Retired Clyde police Chief Bruce Gower said Overmyer should serve the remainder of his sentence in his prison cell."The harm he did to the people of this county far outweighs the two-and-half years he's been in prison," Gower said.Overmyer's was convicted of crimes including stealing drugs from prescription drug disposal drop-off boxes, deceived doctors to obtain prescription drugs, stealing from the departments Furtherance of Justice Fund and tampering with financial records.Former Sandusky County sheriff's detective Sean O'ConnellThe parole board's ruling comes around the same time the attorney for former Sandusky County sheriff's detective Sean O'Connell, who's serving a two-year prison term for evidence tampering relating to the Heather Bogle homicide investigation, asked Cosgrove to grant O'Connell early prison release. She hasn't yet ruled on O'Connell's case."I think (Overmyer) should go the full four (years)," Gower said. "The damage they did, between him and O'Connell, was pretty severe. It's still being cleaned up. I just don't like dirty cops at all."Overmyer's prison sentence expires April 6, 2020, and he's eligible for judicial release once he's served 80 percent of his sentence on Jan. 12, 2020, according to state prison records. O'Connell's prison term ends Sept. 7, 2020, and he's eligible for judicial release on April 14, 2020.Clyde police chief Bruce Gower addresses Judge Patricia Cosgrove during Kyle Overmyer's sentencing in 2016.Managing editor Matt Westerhold contributed reporting. Editor's note: This article has been updated to correct information on the judge's responsibilities in determining transitional housing. Reach reporter Brandon Addeo at brandonaddeo@sanduskyregister.com, follow him on Twitter @BrandonAddeo and follow the Register at Facebook.com/SanduskyRegisterFormer Sandusky County Sheriff Kyle Overmyer