The Ohio Auditor of State‘s office has been investigating Pike County Sheriff Charles Reader. Late last month a grand jury in Pike County handed down 16 charges against the Sheriff.
Auditor of State Keith Faber made this statement:
“This has been a long and intensive investigation with unfortunate and very serious results. It is our job to hold public officials accountable and root out fraud, waste and abuse in our communities. We do not take these charges lightly and recognize that no one is above the law. While this is a major step toward seeking justice, our team is fully prepared to present these findings to a jury as this matter moves forward. I’d like to commend everyone who worked on this case for the immense amount of effort and detail that has been dedicated to the investigation.”
The investigation started last year. The Auditor’s Special Investigations Unit had the lead role. Of the 16 charges that resulted, eight are felony level offenses and eight are misdemeanors. An anonymous complaint was made to the Auditor of State’s office November 9, accusing the Sheriff of taking money that was confiscated from drug-related arrests.
The eight felony offenses as explained in the indictment are:
- Tampering with Evidence, a 3rd-degree felony, intentionally misleading a public official
- Tampering with Records, a 3rd-degree felony, intentional fraud in regards to meddling with local government records in relation to theft in office
- Three charges of Theft in Office, 4th-degree felonies, stealing property or services from his office valued between $1,000 and $7,500 in value
- Securing Writings by Deception, a 5th-degree felony, causing another person to falsify a car title
- One charge of Theft, a 5th-degree felony, stole property or services valued between $1,000 and $7,500
- One additional charge of Theft in Office, a 5th-degree felony, stole property or services valued at less than $1,000
The remaining offenses are all first-degree misdemeanors for the Conflict of Interest charges and one of the theft charges under $1,000.
As reported in The Columbus Dispatch, the complaint stated in part,”We believe he is taking money from this safe and using it for his personal use.” The complaint also includes claims that Reader was stealing money from drug arrests because he was a compulsive gambler.
Sheriff Reader pleaded not guilty to all counts.
A question concerning many in the state is whether or not the Sheriff’s legal troubles will jeopardize a murder case in his county. Eight members of the Rhoden family were killed in April of 2016. Four days after, Edward Wagner, who had fathered a child with one of the Rhodens, and three of his family members were arrested for all eight murders.
The Sheriff’s attorney, James Boulger, suggested to The Dispatch that “the complaint was fueled by ‘bitterness’ from former employees.”
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Beth Lear is a reporter at The Ohio Star. Follow Beth on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Charles Reader Arrangement” by Colombus Dispatch.
