Commissioner Pat South said commissioners may place court clerks who now report to County Court Judge Dallas Powers, under the supervision of Clerk of Courts Jim Spaeth.

State law would allow it, and court employees in some other Ohio counties operate under a similar setup, South said Wednesday. But four probation department employees would remain under the supervision of the County Court's administrative judge - Powers - "and there's nothing we can do about that," South said.

Commissioners might be closer to acting following today's board meeting, South said. In other developments:

 Powers has been out of the office since the allegations surfaced two weeks ago.

He said he will return to work Tuesday. He declined further comment.

 The Ohio Attorney General's Office said it has been asked to investigate Powers.

Attorney General's spokesman Bob Beasley wouldn't disclose the scope of the investigation, which will be done by the state Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation.

A female employee complained on Aug. 30 that she felt sexually harassed after discovering the judge and another county worker engaged in what she thought was sexual behavior. Another woman filed a complaint against Powers, alleging he groped her and coerced her into sexual contact in his chambers.

Others have raised questions and concerns about how Libbie Gerondale, a probation officer, amassed more than 400 hours of overtime pay from January through August. Her overtime is quadruple the total amount paid to her three co-workers, records show.

Gerondale's lawyer, Bill Kaufman, said his client's overtime was legitimate. She reported to work at 6 a.m. on Saturdays to track down people who owed fines or court costs, Kaufman said.

John D. Smith, a Springboro lawyer who represents Powers, on Wednesday said he would reserve comment.

"We're aware of an investigation ... I have never been told, or neither has Dallas, what the allegations are."

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E-mail jmorse@enquirer.com