SIDNEY – After years of costly, legal counter-moves involving private and taxpayer dollars, along with political accusations and finger-pointing, it’s now been settled. The felony criminal record of former Shelby County Sheriff Dean Kimpel has been expunged.
On April 19, visiting Judge James Brogan, of Greene County, granted Kimpel’s request to wipe away his case after determining he had met the state requirements for expungement. The move means that most parties conducting a background check, such as future employers, would not be notified of or have access to Kimpel’s case file that includes records of his pleading guilty to illegally using sheriff’s office computers for personal searches.
However, government authorities, defense organizations, law enforcement officials and other such agencies would have access to the records, Shelby County Assistant Prosecutor Aaron Lowe said.
In his ruling, Brogan noted Kimpel had met the requirements for the expungement. The charge was the lone blemish on his record. Brogan pointed out state prosecutors did not object to the expungement.
The 64-year-old Kimpel has fulfilled his probation requirements and not committed any additional felonies in the three years since the case was first closed.
Brogan wrote, in part, “The court finds that the interests of the applicant in having the records pertaining to this conviction sealed are not outweighed by any legitimate governmental needs to maintain those records and hereby grants Kimpel’s application.”
He continued, “The proceedings in this case shall be considered not to have occurred, and the conviction of Dean Kimpel in this case shall be sealed.”
As of April 22, the case had been removed from records on the Shelby County Clerk of Courts website.
In a separate motion filed April 18, Kimpel had requested a post-hearing review of additional information presented at an April 5 expungement hearing in Shelby County Common Pleas Court. According to a Shelby County Common Pleas Court bailiff, the April 19 ruling took care of that motion.
