Continuance granted in Sewell case

A court appearance for Sheldon Mayor Rob Sewell, 44, who faces charges on 21 counts of forgery, has been rescheduled, according to unofficial online court records. Arraignment was originally set for Sept. 10, but attorney Nicholas Swischer requested and was granted a continuance. The arraignment is now set for Sept. 24.

According to court documents, the charges relate to 21 checks written between April 2008 and August 2010 on an account belonging to 97-year-old John Young, varying in amounts from $61 to $50,000 and totaling more than $150,000, according to calculations based on the list of individual charges.

A probable cause statement cites several inconsistencies in Young's signature and check-writing habits, such as the way amounts and dates were written on some of the checks.

Documents also note that Sewell obtained a power of attorney for John Young in February 2011, which was revoked in January 2012.

Sewell was arrested Aug. 17 by the Vernon County Sheriff's Office. He posted the $5,000 cash-only bond the following Monday.

In the wake of the allegations, Sewell's position and duties as mayor of Sheldon continue, since the allegations are in no way connected to city business.

A statement from the Sheldon City Council issued at the time, said, "The charges do not involve any actions or duties of an elected official of the city. As such the city takes no position," on the matter. That remains unchanged, officials said Friday.