HAMILTON, Ohio — Butler County Auditor Roger Reynolds will be allowed to remain in office after Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced that Reynolds was criminally indicted, a panel appointed by the Ohio Supreme Court decided Tuesday.
In February, Yost’s office announced that Reynolds was charged on five criminal counts that alleged Reynolds of abusing his office for personal gain. Reynolds, through an attorney, denied those claims.
“We are pleased that the State’s attempt to use false and legally insufficient criminal allegations to remove Auditor Reynolds from his duly-elected position has failed,” said Chad R. Ziepfel, attorney for Reynolds. “Not only are the charges against Mr. Reynolds false, but as the Special Commission recognized, the allegations do not involve the Auditor’s office or Mr. Reynolds’ work as the Auditor.
“Auditor Reynolds is focused on his commitment to providing quality services and his continued fight to keep spending and taxes low for the taxpayers of Butler County. We again ask that the community not rush to judgment in this matter, and we look forward to proving Mr. Reynolds’ innocence at the upcoming trial.”
Yost’s press secretary, Steve Irwin, opposed the panel’s decision.
“We believe the panel got it wrong but respect their decision. When the full case is presented to the jury, the defendant’s misconduct in office will be obvious,” he said.
Following Yost’s announcement, a special panel was assembled by the Ohio Supreme Court of three retired judges to determine whether Reynolds should stay in 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.
“This Special Commission is tasked with determining whether Mr. Reynolds’ administration of, or conduct in the performance of the duties of, his office, as covered by the charges, adversely affects the functioning of that office or adversely affects the rights and interests of the public and, as a result, whether he should be suspended from office,” the commission wrote Tuesday. “The Special Commission finds that Mr. Reynolds’ actions, as set forth in the charges, are not sufficiently related to the performance and duties of his office so as to warrant suspension. There is an insufficient nexus between the alleged acts in the Attorney General’s request for suspension and the functionality of the Butler County Auditor’s office.”
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
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.
