Miami County’s former maintenance director who was sentenced in November to a year in prison on theft in office charges has been granted an early release.

Jarrod Harrah was convicted of theft in office and tampering with records and evidence. In November, visiting Judge Jonathan Hein sentenced Harrah to one year in prison, fined him $7,500 and ordered him to pay the county $1,443 in restitution.

Today, Hein granted a defense motion for Harrah’s early release from prison.

In November, Hein said Ohio sentencing laws today focus on incarceration of violent offenders, not those with crimes such as those committed by Harrah. He said he would consider a request for early prison release from defense lawyer Andrew Pratt when Harrah was eligible.

The investigation centered around millions of dollars of no-bid contracts awarded by the county.

The way the contracts were handled - and gifts allegedly given to employees by one vendor - were handed over to the state auditor and Ohio Ethics Commission for further review, according to county records.

Once paperwork has been completed, Harrah’s family will be responsible for picking him up from the Madison Correctional Institution, according to reports.