Employee charged in felony drug case still working at IU

John "Jack" Kenealy, an IU night operations supervisor who was arrested last month by the Indiana State Police Methamphetamine Abuse Task Force, is currently awaiting trial on three felony drug counts.\nHe was arrested in his Bloomington home July 29 after officers discovered methcathinone in his residence. \nAfter posting a $500 bond, he was released from the jail and is currently working a day shift that includes building repair and maintenance duties.\nDan Rives, associate vice president for Human Resources at IU, said Kenealy was reassigned to a day-shift position following his arrest.\nRon Chapman, Kenealy's attorney, said his client has done nothing that would cause him not to be able to keep his job.\n"He is still working at IU because there is more regarding his employment situation than just his arrest," Rives said. "There's more facts and circumstances than what was reported to the public.'\nKenealy appeared for a hearing Aug. 6 where he pleaded not guilty to all charges.\nAccording to Monroe County Court documents, Kenealy is charged with three counts: manufacturing a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance and possession of a drug precursor. The first count is considered a class B felony while the other two charges are class D felonies.\nAccording to Indiana State law, the minimum sentence for a class D felony is six months in jail. Class B felonies carry a six-year minimum sentence.\nChapman declined to comment on specifics in the case but said Kenealy has entered a not guilty plea on all three counts.\n"Just because someone was arrested doesn't mean they are guilty," Chapman said.\nRives said IU, like any other university, does not have a drug or substance testing policy for employees. \n"Indiana University would be very concerned if employees were engaged in any type of substance abuse during their work activity," Rives said.\nThe Indiana State Police Methamphetamine Abuse Task Force was established last year to review information and develop a long-range plan for combatting the abuse and manufacturing of methamphetamine.\n"Methamphetamine is Indiana's biggest drug problem," said Steve Hillman, Indiana State Police captain.\n"The task force brings a number of players together to put together a plan to talk about the problem and come up with solutions."\nHillman said methamphetamine is highly addictive and Indiana has seen a problem with the manufacturing of the drug because it is relatively easy to make.\n"It takes specially trained teams to go into meth labs and properly remove the chemicals," he said. "But despite our best efforts, we still see an increase in the number of meth labs that we take down. It's a real problem in our state."\nJim Fielder, Monroe County clerk, said documents indicate that Chapman filed a request for discovery and inspection Aug. 6.\nThe pretrial for Kenealy is scheduled for Oct. 14. The jury trial is slated for Dec. 7.\n-- Contact campus editor Lori Geller at lfgeller@indiana.edu.