Former Employees Testify at Sheriff Tuhy Hearing | Video

Alex Hagan | 7/24/2012

The Stark County Sheriff is accused of bullying and intimidating his employees. Some people also claim Sheriff Clarence Tuhy stole items from a charity. County Commissioners filed a complaint with the Governor which led to a hearing today at the courthouse where witnesses testified on the issues.

Tuhy has been accused of mistreating employees and stealing from a local non-profit organization, and today witnesses testified on the issues.

"The atmosphere was that it was a hostile atmosphere," said former deputy Ernie Shear.

Witnesses included two former sheriff deputies. Both resigned from their positions and had similar reasons for leaving.

"We were told that we were replaceable and it just, I was tired of going to work and nit-picked over little things that I had done," said former deputy Brian Johnson.

And when they were asked to describe what the environment was like under Tuhy, both replied with nearly the same answers.

"The sheriff didn`t, it didn`t matter to the sheriff what was going on with us as long as he was okay with what he had going on," Shear said.

Another problem was ill-fitting bullet proof vests.

"I felt comfortable doing the job, I didn`t feel 100 percent equipped," Shear said.

Former Dickinson Chief of Police Chuck Rummel says that he and the sheriff had a problem cooperating.

"It got to the point that anything that we had a project or whatever, it seemed we were always arguing about whatever and never really getting anywhere."

Tuhy has also been accused of using county equipment for his own gain.

"He was loading up a bunch of steel that was from a range that was in front of the law enforcement center into his pick-up and hauling that away," Rummel said.

The defense claims he did not take that for his own gain, but just moving the equipment to another place.

Witnesses were asked about the House of Manna theft, but no one produced any evidence that the sheriff had stolen anything from the non profit.

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