Highland Heights city council member Jesse Hockenbury announced his resignation from council at Tuesday night’s meeting after he entered into an Alford plea to third-degree sexual abuse in July.
During its Sept. 1 meeting, the council read a statement from Hockenbury to the public announcing his departure:
“Please accept this letter as formal notification of my resignation from the Highland Heights City Council, effective Oct. 1, 2026. After much consideration, I have decided to step down at this time to focus on personal priorities and my family.
It has been an honor to serve the residents of Highland Heights, and I am grateful for the opportunity to have served this community over the last two years.
Over the coming weeks, I am committed to working with city administration to ensure an orderly transition of my current duties and to conclude pending administrative business.”
The 32-year-old, who is a working attorney in the area and former Campbell County Republican Treasurer, was elected to city council in 2024. He was arrested in February on charges of sexual abuse in the third degree after a woman reported unwanted sexual conduct and inappropriate comments from Hockenbury, who at the time was her attorney.
Since then, several council members have made public requests calling for Hockenbury’s resignation after court records show he entered an Alford plea, which means he accepted a guilty conviction without admitting to the alleged conduct.
Rene Heinrich, one of the more vocal council members, commended Hockenbury for his departure from council.
“It’s a shame it took so long, but I am grateful Jesse decided to do the right thing and spare our citizens the cost of a removal action,” said Heinrich.
Hockenbury has been sentenced to 90 days in jail, but will not serve any jail time unless he violates the court’s conditions. These include having no contact with the victim, remaining at least 500 feet from the victim, her home and workplace, and paying $165 in court costs.
The next council meeting is scheduled for Sept. 22.
