Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears announced on Thursday, April 9, 2026, that criminal charges have been filed against two Indiana sheriffs and a jail matron following public integrity investigations. The accused are Dubois County Sheriff Tom Kleinhelter, Clinton County Sheriff Richard Kelly and Ashley Kelly, who has served as the Clinton County jail matron. Prosecutors said the allegations range from false informing and official misconduct to theft and multiple counts of fraud.
Prosecutor's Office Lays Out Charges
According to a press release from the Marion County Prosecutor's Office, Kleinhelter is charged with false informing and official misconduct. Richard Kelly faces two counts of aiding, inducing or causing fraud, along with an official misconduct charge, and Ashley Kelly is charged with theft, official misconduct and two counts of fraud, as reported by WISH-TV. The release stated that the investigations were conducted with the Indiana State Police and framed public corruption work as a priority for the office. The statement did not include arraignment dates.
Dubois County Sheriff Under Earlier Probe
Kleinhelter has already been under scrutiny in a months-long Indiana State Police inquiry and an administrative decertification process after State Board of Accounts auditors flagged possible misuse of jail commissary funds, according to The Indiana Lawyer. The training board moved ahead with administrative charges that included fraud, perjury and false informing and tentatively scheduled evidentiary hearings for late April. Administrative filings alleged Kleinhelter directed a jail matron to mislabel commissary purchases and submitted questionable reimbursement requests to the county auditor.
Clinton County Case Has Civil History
Richard and Ashley Kelly have already dealt with civil action. The Indiana Attorney General filed a lawsuit seeking to recover roughly $329,000 after an SBOA audit found commissary funds were diverted to a company the couple operated, as reported by WRTV. Prosecutors said that audit and related records helped shape the criminal investigation announced on April 9. The civil filing alleged the county had no written agreement with the couple's business and that checks were improperly issued from the commissary fund.
Prosecutor Stresses Public Corruption Priority
In the release, Mears wrote that "public corruption is a priority for this office" and said his team was "proud to have partnered with the Indiana State Police" on the investigations, per WISH-TV. The language signals the prosecutor's intent to pursue cases that touch on misuse of public funds and public trust.
Legal Context and Next Steps
Under Indiana law, official misconduct is a Level 6 felony, and false informing is typically charged as a Class B misdemeanor. Penalties for fraud and theft depend on the alleged amounts and surrounding circumstances, according to the state code. See Indiana Code and the false informing statute at IC 35-44-2-2 for the statutory language. The prosecutor's release did not list immediate court dates. Arraignments and local scheduling will be set by county courts, and the accused are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Why It Matters
The filings highlight how audits, civil suits and criminal probes can converge on the same allegations, especially when commissary and jail accounts are involved. Past audits and recovery efforts have led to policy changes in some counties. If these prosecutions move forward, they could renew calls for tighter oversight and clearer accounting controls, as previous reporting by WRTV showed.
The Marion County release did not include immediate public responses from the three people named. Local defense attorneys and sheriff's offices may file responses in court records, and court dockets and filings will provide further details as the cases move through county courthouses.
