FREMONT, Ohio -- Suspended Sandusky County Sheriff Kyle Overmyer pleaded guilty to more than a dozen drug and theft charges just two weeks after voters rejected his bid for re-election.

The plea deal comes three months after investigators announced 43 charges against the once-popular lawman. He was scheduled to stand trial in March.

Overmyer pleaded guilty to 13 felonies and one misdemeanor, according to Special Prosecutor Carol Hamilton O'Brien's office. His sentencing is scheduled Dec. 13 in Sandusky County Common Pleas Court.

Defense attorney Ron Mayle declined to comment after the hearing due to a gag order that visiting Judge Patricia Cosgrove issued earlier this month.

A Sandusky County judge ordered Overmyer to hand over his badge and gun after his Aug. 23 indictment on the dozens of drug and theft charges. Investigators said he took drugs from prescription drug disposal drop boxes, deceived doctors to obtain prescription medications such as Percocet, misused sheriff's department funds and altered records.

Overmyer refused to resign after his arrest and his name remained on the ballot for the Nov. 8 general election. But the Republican candidate received just 16 percent of votes; independent candidate Christopher Hilton won with 46 percent and independent Jim Consolo received 38 percent.

The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation began investigating Overmyer in 2015. The Sandusky Register reported earlier this year that six police chiefs in Sandusky County raised concerns about pills collected from the drop boxes that went missing. The chiefs said in a joint statement that the disappearance of the drugs was "very disturbing."

On Sept. 27, a three-judge panel suspended Overmyer in a ruling that said he could not perform his duties while facing criminal charges. The Ohio Supreme Court created the panel, comprised of retired judges, after Special Prosecutor Carol Hamilton O'Brien filed a request that the sheriff be suspended.

Earlier this month, a judge raised Overmyer's bond to $250,000 after O'Brien argued he violated the terms of his bail by contacting potential witnesses. Overmyer's attorneys countered by saying the allegations were timed to influence voters before the election.

Capt. Steve Stotz has been serving as interim sheriff following Overmyer's arrest.