Overmyer's prosecutor nabs top job at attorney general's office

SANDUSKY — The special prosecutor who helped put former Sandusky County sheriff Kyle Overmyer in prison is about to get a top state law enforcement job.Attorney General-elect Dave Yost announced this week he will name Carol O'Brien as his deputy attorney general for law enforcement.O'Brien, the Delaware County prosecutor, was the special prosecutor in 2016 when Overmyer pleaded guilty to 14 criminal counts, including 13 felonies and 1 misdemeanor. He pleaded guilty to theft charges, to using deception to obtain prescription pain pills such as Percocet and Hydrocodone, to stealing drugs and to tampering with records.The prosecution was fueled when six police chiefs in the area stepped forward to accuse Overmyer of stealing drugs from drop boxes at police stations. In December 2016, Overmyer was sentenced to four years in prison.O'Brien, appointed to serve as special prosecutor in early 2016, asked visiting Judge Patricia Cosgrove for prison time in the case.After Overmyer pleaded guilty, O'Brien said she was satisfied that the plea deal had persuaded the former sheriff to admit guilt to 14 criminal charges."I think the plea deal accurately reflects the scope of the conduct," O'Brien said.O'Brien, appointed Delaware County prosecutor in 2011, won election to two full terms as county prosecutor. In 2016, the Ohio Prosecuting Attorneys Association named her Ohio's top prosecutor. She's also worked as an assistant attorney general and as an assistant prosecutor in Franklin County.The Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction's online offender lookup showed Thursday that Overmyer, 44, is imprisoned at Allen-Oakwood Correctional Institution in Lima.Overmyer's four years of imprisonment will expire on March 28, 2020, but he will have served 80 percent of his sentence and become eligible for early release on Jan. 12, 2020. The sentencing court will make a recommendation on early release after a recommendation from state prison officials.Yost, currently the state auditor, will be sworn in on Jan. 14 as Ohio's 51st attorney general.Delaware County Prosecutor Carol Hamilton O'BrienA state prison photograph of former Sandusky County sheriff Kyle Overmyer.