A state attorney general’s office investigation into the Butler County jury commissioners has delayed a Butler County Bar Association investigation into comments made by Commissioner Jim Eckstein.

Butler attorney Mike Gallagher, president of the bar association, said the association suspended the investigation, so the state investigation would not be tainted.

During the June 19 county commissioners meeting, Eckstein said Commissioner Dale Pinkerton, who is suing Eckstein for defamation, was politically motivated to support the May elimination of the jury commissioners.

According to Eckstein, there was an appearance of impropriety because there no longer was a safeguard against the possibility of jury tampering while linking Pinkerton’s name to county President Judge Thomas Doerr.

The bar association, which has an obligation to defend the judiciary from false allegations, on June 27 voted to determine if it should respond to Eckstein’s comments.

A three-person committee that included former Judge George Hancher began the investigation.

Eckstein, who previously criticized the bar association for scrutinizing what amounted to free speech, questioned the delay.

“It’s a cop-out,” he said. “It’s been five months.”

The state investigation came to light when Doerr issued a Nov. 22 order removing jury commissioners Jon Galante and Clinton Bonetti from the jury pool selection process.

Both jury commissioners were locked out of their office, denied access to the county computer system and lost automatic entry to the government center and courthouse via swipe cards.

The attorney general’s office does not comment on investigations.

However, the investigation appears linked to three county officials and a Connoquenessing Township resident, who publicly supported the abolishment of the posts, receiving jury candidate questionnaires in October.

Along with county commissioners Bill McCarrier and Pinkerton, who voted to cut the jobs, county solicitor Mike English and township resident Mark Krenitsky received the questionnaires on the same day.

McCarrier and Krenitsky were subsequently summoned for jury duty earlier this month. Both men were excused from serving.

The jury pool selection process begins with the random culling of people to receive questionnaires.

During the commissioners meeting Wednesday, Krenitsky spoke about being called for jury duty when he wasn’t supposed to be.

The commissioners in May eliminated the posts, citing cost savings. The salaries and benefits of both jobs are budgeted at a total of $71,000 for 2013.

Jury commissioners Jon Galante and Clinton Bonetti opposed the move, stressing the importance of independent elected officials overseeing the jury pool selection process.