MOUNT VERNON — Former Knox County Jail deputy Jason Hess, 32, Howard, rejected a plea deal Wednesday and has rescheduled for jury trial, according to Knox County Common Pleas Court records. This is the sixth time that Hess’ hearing has been rescheduled in a year.
Knox County Prosecuting Attorney Chip McConville confirmed that a plea deal was on the table, but Hess did not accept the offer.
Hess was scheduled to sign the plea deal Wednesday afternoon. However the prosecutor’s office received a call in the morning from Shamasky conveying that Hess had decided he would like a jury trial instead, said McConville.
The content of the plea deal and fact that Hess was previously scheduled to sign the plea are inadmissible as evidence and cannot be used against Hess in court.
A year ago, Hess was indicted by the grand jury for two counts of sexual battery and four counts of public indecency reportedly committed against female inmates at the Knox County Jail. The earliest report dated back to 2015. Hess was a deputy at the time of these reported incidents.
While the prosecutor’s office regularly handles sexual crimes, one involving a suspect who is a member of local law enforcement and victims who are jail inmates is unique in recent Knox County history, according to McConville.
When asked if any new evidence or testimony might have come to light in the Hess case, McConville said there has been no new development.
“The investigation has been complete and in the can for a while,” McConville said. This referred to the independent investigation conducted by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI).
An independent investigation by an outside agency is not mandatory. But because the case involved a suspect from local law enforcement, the prosecutor’s office and sheriff’s office jointly decided to turn the investigation over to BCI to avoid potential conflict of interest, McConville explained.
Now, the prosecutor said his office is ready to go to trial.
When asked if any witness would testify at the trial, Shamasky suggested that he expects the prosecution will call many witnesses; however he would not comment on defense strategy at this point of the proceeding.