Former New Holland police chief William Jason Lawless resigned last year after the Pickaway County Sheriff’s Office charged him with a misdemeanor count of criminal trespass. Now, Lawless is on trial at the Circleville Municipal Court.
In May, resident Karen Francis called the Sheriff’s Office to complain that Lawless and another officer named David Conrad were sitting in a cruiser on a service road on her property.
Lawless and the deputy were there watching an informant conduct a drug purchase across the street.
A Sheriff’s Office report says they refused to leave when Francis asked them to and were subsequently charged with trespassing.
Lawless pleaded not guilty to the charges. His position as chief was unpaid, but he made almost $65,000 a year as the village administrator. He resigned that role last year, as well.
