A judge has ruled that if prosecutors want to continue to their case against Westmoreland County Sheriff Jonathan Held, they cannot use evidence of potential campaign finance violations.
The Tribune Review reports that Judge Timothy Creany ruled yesterday that the potential campaign finance violations should be part of separate charges filed against Held, who faces two counts of theft and one charge of conflict of interest connected with his re-election campaign.
Held is accused of using members of the sheriff’s office to perform campaign duties while they were on the clock for the county. He says that the charges are false, saying they were fabricated by disgruntled office staff.