Village mayor to court: Not guilty

EATON, Ohio (WDTN) - Gary Vest, mayor of the Village of Gratis, who was recently indicted for unlawful interest in a public contract, pled not guilty in a Preble County courtroom, Aug. 10, 2012.

The indictment charges Vest with using his position in November 2011 to secure a public contract that benefited his family.

At issue is the hiring of Vest's daughter for what has been described as a temporary, part-time utility clerk position.

Heather Troth who had been before the council asking questions wonders why the temporary job was never posted.

"At this point anybody in Gratis will tell you there's a lot of problems in Gratis. Hopefully this will be the closure of it," she said.

Former mayor Randy Kemper, who has worked with Vest, told 2 NEWS the vote to hire Vest's daughter was open and Gary Vest and his wife who both served on the council abstained.

At the conclusion of today's court appearance, West was released n his own recognizance.

A trial date was set for Oct. 8.