Read the indictment

Overmyer’s 43 indictments — 38 of which are felonies — came after a yearlong investigation, and a marathon grand jury session on Tuesday.

By day’s end, special prosecutor Carol Hamilton O’Brien emerged from the Sandusky County Courthouse and announced the final tally of Overmyer’s alleged crimes:

• 12 counts of tampering with records

• 15 counts of deception to obtain a dangerous drug

• Six counts of theft in office

• Five counts of theft

• Five counts of filing false financial disclosure records

Earlier on Tuesday night, O’Brien’s team was working to take Overmyer into custody.

“We’ve been in contact with his counsel and his counsel is making an effort to have him turn himself in and we’ll go from there,” O’Brien said after the grand jury concluded.

Overmyer is expected to appear for his arraignment Wednesday before visiting Judge Patricia Cosgrove. The time and location has yet to be determined.

He is still the sitting sheriff of Sandusky County, despite Tuesday’s slew of charges.

“No, there is not a new sheriff now,” O’Brien said. “At this point in time, what we have is the indictment. To get a new sheriff is a process.”

Overmyer’s criminal charges stem from a host of alleged illegal behavior, according to a release.

The sheriff reportedly deceived doctors and pharmacists in order to obtain prescription painkillers. He allegedly stole medications from drug take-back boxes at local police stations.

Overmyer also misspent public money from the sheriff’s office’s Furtherance of Justice fund, then tampered with bookkeeping records, officials say.

Tuesday’s grand jury hearing included testimony from numerous local officials — Sandusky County Chief Deputy Bruce Hirt, Detective Zach Zender and Detective Sean O’Connell were all spotted on the courthouse grounds, as were officers from Green Springs and Woodville police.

Agents with the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation were also there in force.

It was the six police chiefs of Sandusky County who first rang the alarm last year and brought attention to Overmyer’s alleged misdeeds. O’Brien took on the case in February.

The chiefs “expressed concerns regarding alleged unusual behavior by Overmyer in prescription drug disposal drop box collections,” according to the release, and “the scope of the investigation quickly expanded into other allegations of wrongdoing.”

O’Brien said Overmyer was indeed interviewed during her investigation, but she declined to say if he admitted to any of the crimes.

“We have the indictment, we’ll move forward step-by-step and see what happens,” O’Brien said.

Overmyer was arrested on his indictments late Tuesday, then booked into the Erie County jail just before midnight. Jail records state he’s being held without bond on a holder from Sandusky County.

Go to sanduskyregister.com for exclusive video of Prosecutor O’Brien, reporter Courtney Astolfi’s live Twitter feed of the grand jury proceedings, and continued coverage of the sheriff’s legal battle.

Source: Sandusky Register