Pike County sheriff Charles Reader, who was indicted on 16 counts in June, has been charged in Franklin County with “a first-degree misdemeanor charge of making a false statement to the Ohio Ethics Commission,” according to the Chillicothe Gazette.
The Gazette reported Friday that Ohio auditor Keith Faber’s office filed the charge and “that Reader is accused of failing to report personal loans/gifts from local business owners and one of his deputies as required on his financial disclosure form that elected office holders must file.”
According to court records and the Gazette article, Reader has entered a not guilty plea in Franklin County Municipal Court. A hearing has been scheduled for Dec. 3
Reader faces the following charges in Pike County Common Pleas Court:
• One count of tampering with evidence, a felony of the third degree;
• One count of tampering with records, a felony of the third degree;
• Three counts of theft in office, a felony of the fourth degree;
• One count of theft in office, a felony of the fifth degree;
• Seven counts of conflict of interest, a misdemeanor of the first degree;
• One count of securing writings by deception, a felony of the fifth degree;
• One count of theft, a felony of the fifth degree; and
• One count of theft, a misdemeanor of the first degree.
According to court records, Reader was arraigned July 2, where he entered a not guilty plea to all 16 charges. He was released on his own recognizance. Reader was also ordered not to talk to any of the state’s witnesses, not to discuss the case on social media and to “surrender all keys and key fobs to the courthouse.”
Following recommendations from Faber and Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, Reader was suspended in July.
A jury trial in Pike County has been scheduled to begin April 20, 2020, according to court records.
As also noted by the Chillicothe Gazette, Reader is “a registered Democrat who chose Friday to announce that he intends to seek re-election as an independent candidate in 2020.” Reader has posted a “re-elect Sheriff Charlie Reader 2020” message on his Facebook.
For more on this story, read the Chillicothe Gazette article at: https://www.chillicothegazette.com/story/news/2019/11/22/ethics-charge-filed-against-pike-county-sheriff-charles-reader/4275121002/.
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