Steve Deweese submitted a letter to Commissioners Andy Skidmore and Brian Ellis, County Manager Jeremy Young, and County Attorney Larry Frye on Monday, November 18, stating that he was resigning from the County Commission, effective November 30, due to unforeseen circumstances.

An unforeseen circumstance can be almost anything. It could be a family issue or a health issue. The unforeseen circumstances involving Deweese became public knowledge on Wednesday, November 20, when special prosecutor Matthew Deerfield filed documents in Putnam County Circuit Court stating that Deweese had unlawfully accepted four checks, each of $1,000, between 2017 and 2019 from a calendar company while Deweese was Sheriff of Putnam County. The calendar company used a Putnam County Sheriff Department photo on a calendar which it used to sell advertisements. The company sent the checks to Deweese believing that the money would be used to benefit the Putnam County Sheriff’s Department or the Putnam County Deputy Sheriff’s Association. Deweese cashed the checks but did not deposit the money in a Sheriff Department account or a Deputy Sheriff Association account.

Deweese chose to enter a plea agreement in which he acknowledged there is sufficient evidence to potentially convict him of the misdemeanor crime of engaging in a fraudulent scheme, but he admits no guilt. The terms of the agreement require Deweese’s resignation, the payment of $4,000 in restitution, and a promise never to run for public office again.

In absence of the plea agreement, the case would have been presented to a grand jury for possible indictment on charges of engaging in a fraudulent scheme. Conviction of this offense upon trial is punishable by up to a year in jail, a fine of up to $2,500, or both a fine and confinement.

Deerfield was appointed to prosecute the case by a State legislative agency which is tasked with investigating fraud by public officials. The Breeze can report that Deerfield’s investigation began before Deweese took office as a commissioner in January of 2023. Deweese won the Republican nomination for Putnam County Sheriff in May of 2022 and was elected in the 2022 General Election.

The vacancy created by Deweese’s resignation will be filled by a temporary appointment by Commissioners Skidmore and Ellis at the December 17 County Commission meeting. The appointee will serve until the results of the 2026 General Election are certified and a commissioner is elected to serve the remainder of Deweese’s term.