How Long Is A Commissioner's Term Of Service Pike County Ohio

Pike County Sheriff Charles Reader pleaded not guilty to all 16 criminal charges he faces during a Tuesday morning arraignment and top country officials are calling for his removal.

Reader was indicted on viii felonies and eight misdemeanors Tuesday in Pike Canton Common Pleas Courtroom after a g jury returned the xvi-count indictment terminal calendar week.

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost and Auditor of State Keith Faber called for Reader's removal on Tuesday.

Reader was accused in Nov of stealing cash seized from drug cases handled by the sheriff's role to fund a gambling trouble. An anonymous source made the allegation in a complaint that was forwarded to the Ohio Auditor'south Office.

The indictment farther details the allegations facing Reader, which include:

• Four counts of theft in office, three are fourth-degree felonies and ane is a fifth-degree felony
• One count each of tampering with evidence and tampering with records, both 3rd-degree felonies
• Vii counts of conflict of interest, a outset-caste misdemeanor
• One count of securing writing by deception,  a fifth-degree felony
• Two counts of theft - i is a fifth-degree felony and the other is a first-degree misdemeanor

Auditor Keith Faber said in a statement that the substance of a yr-long investigation into Reader ended with "serious results."

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"It is our job to concur public officials accountable and root out fraud, waste, and abuse in our communities," Faber said. "We do not have these charges lightly and recognize that no i is above the police. While this is a major footstep toward seeking justice, our team is fully prepared to present these findings to a jury as this matter moves forrard."

Chris Martin, a retired, visiting judge overseeing the example, ordered a signature bond in Reader's case. He too ordered that Reader have no contact with witnesses and that he surrender keys related to his position as sheriff.

Robert Smith, a special prosecutor assigned to the example, did non oppose the signature bond. The guess as well ordered Reader and witnesses to refrain from discussing the case on social media.

More:Freeway Canton Sheriff Charles Reader indicted on sixteen charges, including felony theft in role

Special prosecutor requested later dispute

Pike County Prosecutor Rob Junk requested a special prosecutor in Reader's case, which was investigated by the Ohio Auditor of Country's Special Investigations Unit of measurement, Junk said in May among a dispute with Reader on Facebook.

Reader lamented then past cuts to his staff and budget cuts to the sheriff'due south office.

He later removed the posts and issued a follow-up statement that read, in office: "This is zilch more than a political witch hunt, where the prosecutor is attempting to do everything in his power to 'sink my boat,' " Reader wrote.

More than:Throughway County Facebook tirades reveal concerns about sheriff's credibility in court

Yost, Faber call for Reader's removal

The Auditor's office filed a motion with the Ohio Supreme Court to commence suspension proceedings confronting Reader. Yost also filed an amicus brief in support of the motion.

"The details of this case demonstrate that Charles Reader has abused his position for personal gain and violated his oath to faithfully and lawfully serve the people of Pike Canton. His intermission is necessary to restore the trust of the public in the members of police force enforcement that have sworn to protect and serve them," Faber said.

Yost said he would like to found a special commission to review whether the Sheriff should exist suspended from office.

"Sheriff Reader violated the public's trust when he used his part to benefit himself rather than the public," Yost said. "Reader has been credibly accused and indicted. Under these circumstances, I don't see how he can be an effective law enforcement officer."

The attorney general said removing Reader will improve, not undermine, criminal justice in Pike Canton.

"Reader'due south removal will accept no effect whatsoever on Ohio's ability to prosecute the defendants who stand accused of murdering the viii members of the Rhoden, Gilley, and Manley families in April of 2016," Yost said.

Yost said Reader played no direct role and had no direct involvement in the investigation of the Rhoden family killings. His presence was only in conjunction with, non independent of, the Bureau of Criminal Investigation.

What'due south next for Reader?

Reader'southward indictment raises questions nearly the future of his part as a sheriff.

Ohio law outlines the procedure for suspending public officials charged with felony crimes"relating to official deport."

A different section of the law outlines the removal of public officials accused more generally of misconduct. Removal is initiated by a complaint that must be signed past at to the lowest degree 15 percent of voters in the most recent governor's election inside the jurisdiction in question, in Reader'southward case, Pike County.

For sheriffs, a governor's signature on the complaint can bypass the need for citizen signatures, the law states.

Dan Tierney, spokesman for Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, said the statute regarding suspensions of public officials is more apt in this case.

That police force went into outcome in 2005. The outset sheriff suspended under the statute was erstwhile Shelby County Sheriff Dean Kimpel, in 2012, followed by Kelly in 2014.

More:Thruway County Sheriff Charles Reader charged. What happens next?

More:Will charges against Thruway County Sheriff Charles Reader impact the Rhoden case?

Source: https://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/story/news/2019/07/02/pike-county-sheriff-charles-reader-plead-not-guilty-theft-wagner-rhoden-case/1626495001/

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