CLEVELAND, Ohio – Pike County Sheriff Charles Reader, who helped lead the investigation into the execution-style slayings of a family in southern Ohio, was indicted Friday on charges of stealing from his office.

A Pike County grand jury accused Reader, 45, of 16 charges that included theft in office, theft, tampering with evidence and conflict of interest allegations.

A special prosecutor from Ohio Auditor Keith Faber’s office is handling the case.

The allegations are unrelated to the murders of eight members of the Rhoden family in April 2016, which Reader’s office handled with state agents.

Ohio Attorney General David Yost said the indictment against the sheriff will not affect the slaying case, as Reader “was not the primary witness for any issue of fact or law.’’

Some lawyers aren’t sure. They said that while the murder cases will continue on, the charges against the sheriff could impact the credibility of the investigation.

“Of course [Reader’s indictment] is going to affect the case,’’ said Michael Benza, who lectures on criminal law at Case Western Reserve University.

“The prosecution will say that it won’t, but [Reader and his department] were involved in the opening stages of the investigation, and that’s one of the most important parts of a criminal case, when you are gathering evidence and interviewing witnesses, when everything is fresh.’’

Timothy McGinty, the retired longtime Cuyahoga County prosecutor and judge, agreed: “It’s a problem that goes to the credibility of the case. In small counties, sheriffs are the key law enforcement officers. They’re a big deal.

“But this will depend on how much his office did in the investigation and what the attorney general’s office did.’’

In November, Reader and then-Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine told reporters that officers had made arrests in the Rhoden family deaths. They announced the filing of aggravated murder charges against George “Billy” Wagner, his wife Angela, and sons Edward and George.

If convicted, the four Wagners face the death penalty.

“They did this quickly, coldly, calmly and carefully, but not carefully enough,’’ Reader told reporters. “We’re a place that doesn’t let cowardly murderers get away with their crimes under the cover of darkness.’’

Two grandmothers also were accused of covering up the case. Prosecutors dropped the charges against one of those women, Fredericka Wagner, this week after defense attorneys provided evidence that countered authorities’ claims that she had lied to a grand jury over the purchase of two bulletproof vests.

The indictment filed Friday charges Reader with the theft of thousands of dollars from his office, as well as seeking loans from employees and from business owners in the county. The charges also involve tampering with evidence, an allegation that Benza said could affect how defense attorneys for the Wagners handle the Rhoden case.

“Defense attorneys can bring up the fact that if he is tampering with evidence in this case, did he tamper with evidence in other cases?’’ Benza said.

State investigators began looking into Reader’s work as sheriff after receiving an anonymous letter that claimed Reader had stolen cash seized in drug cases, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer.