Keneavy, 46, of Cincinnati, was indicted on May 1 and it took the help of the U.S. Marshal’s Service and local investigators to bring him in, according to Warren County Prosecutor Rachel Hutzel. Keneavy could not be found at any of the addresses he had provided the court and the Southern Ohio Fugitive Apprehension Strike Team tracked him down, Hutzel said.
He was taken to the Warren County Jail, where he stayed for 35 days. He’ll be going back in June. Flannery said he sentences almost all felony non-support defendants to jail on Father’s or Mother’s Day, depending on their gender. There were 12 fathers in the jail, from 6 p.m. June 20 until 6 p.m. June 21 and no mothers on May 10 this year, according to jail records.
Flannery said his ability to send these people to prison has been curbed by overcrowding, so he thought he’d try something novel.
“I decided, make these people think about their responsibilities,” he said. “Some people think of it as a gimmick, but I just try to say ‘focus on why you’re in jail today and why you don’t get to spend Father’s Day out of jail’ because you are not a very good father.”
Keneavy’s attorney, Craig Newburger, said he could not comment on the case or Flannery’s sentencing style.
Hutzel said in this sentencing structure the defendants are on probation and must make payments to their ex-spouses so they don’t violate the rules. Plus, she said, it gets the word out that non-payers will pay, but it doesn’t clog the jail for extended periods.
“It’s a perfect solution,” she said.
Contact this reporter at (513) 696-4525 or dcallahan@coxohio.com.
About the Author