By Meladi Brewer

DailyAdvocate.com

GREENVILLE — The Darke County Board of Commissioners met Thursday to discuss legal counsel and new windows. Commissioners Marshall Combs and Larry Holmes were present.

R. Kelly Ormsby, III submitted and application to employ legal counsel in a matter concerning the possible evolution and prosecution of charges concerning Jessica R. Walker for actions on Feb. 7.

Walker, 46, of New Madison, was arrested Tuesday evening on allegations of assault a peace officer, a felony of the fourth degree and disturbing a lawful meeting, a misdemeanor of the fourth degree. Walker is currently being held in the jail with no bond.

“Basically we have had a jury trial here recently concerning Jessica Walker that we had to request the Attorney General’s Office handle because Ms. Walker had alleged a number of things biased against her in Darke County, so we had asked the Attorney General’s Office to look at that and take of that matter.”

The jury trial found Walker guilty of felonious assault, a felony of the second degree, and she is waiting for sentencing on the case. Walker also has two other pending cases out of Darke County for felonious assault and disrupting public service. In 2020 there were allegation of aggravated menacing against her, and in 2021 there was an allegation of telephone harassment.

“On Tuesday of this week on the seventh, we had another incident involving a township meeting where Walker was present and was alleged to have been disruptive to the meeting. She ended up being arrested by Darke County Sheriff’s Deputies among other things for assaulting a police officer,” Ormsby said.

Ormsby said the prosecuting office had contacted the Attorney General’s Office, and Christopher Kinsler and Drew Wood have agreed to stay as legal counsel in the upcoming case in order to represent the state. They will look at the events that happened Tuesday and will proceed with the charges they deem appropriate.

The commissioners voted to approve Kinsler and Wood as the assistant prosecutors on the case.

Dale Musser advised they received bids for the replacement of the windows in the County Administration Building.

“This started many many years ago to replace the windows here in the administration building. They leak, rattle, and they are very energy inofficiant, so we put out for bids,” Musser said.

He said the appointed company will match the windows that are currently in the building to stay with the original architecture in the building. Musser advised a 50 percent deposit will need to be made in order to solidify the county’s choice in awarded company.

The commissioners voted to award the bid to the lowest bidder, Wissman Window & Door in Greenville with a bid of $20,920 for a total of 21 window installments. The windows will be installed before winter.

The Darke County Board of Commissioners meets every Tuesday and Thursday at 1:30 p.m. at their office located at 520 S. Broadway Street in Greenville. To contact the office, call 937-547-7370.

To contact Daily Advocate Reporter Meladi Brewer, email [email protected].