Miami New-Record
Sunday, May 19, 1996
County commissioners to discuss Walker ouster
By Ron Holmes
Miami News-Record
Monday’s regularly scheduled meeting of the Ottawa County Commission promises to be anything but routine.
On the agenda is a discussion of the federal indictment against Sheriff Ed Walker and the possible actions the commissioners may take.
Also scheduled is a possible executive session. District Attorney Ben Loring has suggested that the sheriff should resign and has begun to explore ouster proceedings.
Loring said earlier in the week that he would meet with U.S. Attorney Steve Lewis to determine what evidence against Walker could be turned over to Ottawa County officials.
Loring also said that if sufficient evidence was available, he would pursue an ouster action.
Apparently no state law provides for the removal of an elected official under indictment because of the presumption of innocence until proven guilty.
To complicate matters, there is a question whether the sheriff, as an elected official, serves under the commission, and the little-used ouster process itself is an unusual mix of both civil and criminal law.
But the sheriff has steadfastly vowed he will not resign and said last week, “I was voted in by the people and I’m sure there will be lawsuits before this is over.”
On major question in the fray, is how a replacement might be selected if Walker resigns or is removed.
Commission chairman James Leake said that he would favor opening the position for applications, including applications from candidates for the upcoming race.
Commissioner Graves said, “I’m not going to comment on it. It’s a legal matter and I’m going to let Ben Loring handle it.” When asked how he thought a vacancy should be handled, Graves said, “I’ll take care of it in a board meeting.”
The matter is scheduled for 10 a.m. Monday in the Ottawa County Commissioner’s office in the courthouse.
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