Corn suspended without pay

Highway superintendent Donnie Corn has been suspended for 10 days without pay by Jay County Commissioners in connection with a Sept. 29 incident involving the use of a county dump truck to haul stone for the personal use of commissioner Chad Aker.

Commissioners made that decision public at a special meeting Friday afternoon.

Aker apologized for the incident at an Oct. 28 commissioners’ meeting and has made financial restitution for the stone, the use of a county truck and an hour of Corn’s time.

“At the time, I did not know this was not allowed under county policy,” Aker in October. “I made a mistake here.”

He added Friday, “Nobody’s perfect. We all mistakes and learn from them.”

Friday’s suspension of Corn came after an investigation of the incident by the county’s human resources consultant, Wagoner, Irwin & Scheele. The county’s personnel committee, made up of commissioner Chuck Huffman and county council members Jeanne Houchins and Ted Champ, met earlier in the day Friday.

While that firm recommended the 10-day suspension of Corn, “There was no action recommended regarding commissioner Aker,” said Chuck Huffman, president of the commissioners.

The human resources consultant found that Aker had made all necessary restitution.

Corn’s suspension will be implemented during the next two weeks, Huffman said.

Huffman also said that Aker would not longer be the commissioner with oversight of the highway department. Commissioner Mike Leonhard will assume those duties for the foreseeable future.

“We feel confident no laws were broken in this case,” Huffman in October.

Asked if it was appropriate for Corn to be disciplined when he was acting at the direction of commissioner Aker, Huffman responded, “We’re just implementing what they (Wagoner, Irwin & Scheele) recommended.”