HAMILTON, Ohio — A Butler County grand jury indicted County Auditor Roger Renyolds on five criminal counts, alleging he used his public office to further his personal interest, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced Wednesday.
Yost’s office said Renyolds was charged on the following counts:
- One count of bribery, a third-degree felony
- Two counts of unlawful interest in a public contract, both fourth-degree felonies
- One count of unlawful use of authority, a first-degree misdemeanor
- One count of conflict of interest, a first-degree misdemeanor
Yost’s office said that a copy of the indictment has been forwarded to the Ohio Supreme Court to consider suspending Reynolds from his office. The Ohio Revised Code stipulates that public officials can be suspended when charged with a felony in a state or federal court when the count relates to the performance of the official’s duties.
The indictment claims that Reynolds began illegally using his office for personal gain in 2015, and those activities continued into late 2021.
Reynolds has served as the county auditor since 2008 and has been reelected by Butler County residents four times since.
Chad R. Ziepfel, who said he’ll be representing Reynolds, denied the allegations on his client’s behalf.
“The allegations in the indictment against Mr. Reynolds are false,” Ziepfel said. “Mr. Reynolds has never solicited, accepted, or paid any bribes, and he has never used his position, authority, or influence to improperly benefit himself or anyone else. Mr. Reynolds has served the Butler County community with honor for the past 19 years, without even a hint of impropriety. He is proud of reforming the Auditor’s office, restoring trust with the citizens, and fighting for fair property valuations. Mr. Reynolds will vigorously defend himself against these charges, and looks forward to continuing in public service for years to come.”
