Sheriff to face trial on theft charges

admitted on cross-examination that he and Sheriff Held had been friends — the sheriff was the best man in Sgt. Shipley’s recent wedding — before they had a falling out.

Former Lt. Vince Izzo, who retired in January after nearly 20 years with the sheriff’s office, also testified during the preliminary hearing Thursday. Mr. Izzo said he arranged to have food, gift cards and at least one firearm donated as prizes for Sheriff Held’s “I Out Shot the Sheriff” fundraisers in 2015, 2016 and 2017.

He said he drove his county car, while on duty and in uniform, to various businesses to ask for donations, and estimated he spent four hours a day, three days a week working on the campaign for several weeks before each fundraiser.

He admitted on cross examination that he was initially untruthful with investigators from the Attorney General’s office when they asked about the fundraising. During an initial interview, he told the investigators he was “on vacation at times” while doing the campaign work, and said he drove a personal vehicle.

Mr. Izzo admitted he did the campaign work while on-duty only after investigators told him they had a video of him entering a gun store in full uniform and soliciting a donation. Mr. Izzo testified he was less than truthful in the initial interview because he was afraid Sheriff Held would retaliate against him.

Mr. Izzo testified that Sheriff Held had told him to assign a deputy to guard inmates in the basement of the courthouse, an unwanted duty Mr. Izzo said was typically assigned as punishment or given to new hires, because that deputy had cooperated with the Attorney General’s investigation.

Sheriff Held does not face criminal charges related to that allegation.

Mr. Tutera, the sheriff’s attorney, asked both witnesses whether Sheriff Held told them during two meetings at restaurants to be sure not to do the campaign work on county time, and both said they could not remember whether he had.

Judge Flanigan held the charges for court after noting the commonwealth only needs to prove a prima facie case.

Mr. Tutera said after the hearing that he looks forward to defending Sheriff Held in Common Pleas Court.

“The burden at a preliminary hearing is very low and they don’t have to prove anything beyond a reasonable doubt,” he said. “As you all saw, credibility is not an issue [at this level], and this case is going to come down to credibility.”