Attorney General asks Ohio Supreme Court to suspend Roger Reynolds

On Feb 14, 2022

BUTLER COUNTY, Ohio (WXIX) – Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost on Monday officially asked the Ohio Supreme Court to suspend Butler County Auditor Roger Reynolds, who is facing felony corruption charges.

Reynolds, the county’s chief financial officer since 2008, was indicted Wednesday on five charges for allegedly using his elected position for personal gain.

Three of the charges are felonies: bribery and two counts of unlawful interest in a public contract. The other two charges are misdemeanors: conflict of interest, and unlawful use of authority.

His first court date in the case is Thursday in Butler County Common Pleas Court.

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The Butler County Sheriff’s Office began investigating in late August after FOX19 NOW reported Reynolds was seeking – at times using his county elected office email account – more than $1 million in public money for road improvements on Hamilton Mason Road near Maud Hughes Road as he facilitated the sale of his parents property into a $20 million senior residential complex. The road improvements are needed before the project, called “Red Oak,” can proceed.

We interviewed his parents’ next-door neighbor, Gerald Parks, his daughter, Tina Barlow, and their attorney.

They told us Reynolds was using his position as county auditor to block development on Parks’ property and to raise his taxes by pulling its agricultural designation. They said it happened after Parks turned down an offer from Reynolds’ to purchase his land below market value in October 2015. At the time, he was caring for his wife, Helen, who was in the final stages of a battle against cancer.

“In his position, I would think it would be illegal to do that, use his leverage to kill my sale,” Parks said in a Sept. 9 interview on the front porch of his home. “I have an attorney now. My daughter has been tremendously helpful to me, too. I’d like to sell it.”

When we asked him what he thought of Reynolds offer, he responded: “At that time, my wife was deathly sick and I didn’t give it a real lot of thought,” Parks said.

He paused a few moments before adding: “She later died.”

Helen Parks, 81, succumbed to her cancer on Oct. 16, 2015. She died at home, surrounded by her family.

A few weeks after our interview last fall, Parks, his daughter and their family trust all sued Reynolds, his company Liberty Way Farms, and others, alleging bribery, extortion and tortious interference with Parks’ business contracts.

By that point, the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation and the Ohio Attorney General’s Office had joined the investigation. Yost appointed an assistant prosecuting attorney from his office to serve as special prosecutor. The Ohio Ethics Commission also was involved.

Now, with Yost’s request, the Ohio Supreme Court will appoint three retired judges to review the facts and they can suspend officials while the criminal case proceeds through the court system.

Suspended public officials can still receive their taxpayer-funded salaries and benefits.

Reynolds was paid $106,498 last year and is expected to collect $108,362 this year, according to the Butler County Treasurer’s Office.

Reynolds’ lawyer has made it clear to FOX19 NOW they will fight the charges and the suspension.

If convicted, Reynolds faces a maximum sentence of 7 years in prison and thousands in fines.

Reynolds, a Republican who has been the county’s auditor since 2008, was summoned to appear in Butler County Common Pleas Court next week, on Feb. 17 at 1 p.m., court records show.

“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,” his attorney, Chad Ziepfel said.

“Not only are the allegations false, but they do not involve the Auditor’s office or Mr. Reynolds’ work as the Auditor. We hope that the community will not rush to judgment in this matter, and will wait for the full story to come out at trial.”

Reynolds is up for re-election this year and, so far, his legal troubles have not sidetracked him.

He filed petitions last month to run in the May 3 Republican primary and will face West Chester Fiscal Officer Bruce Jones.

In other new developments:

A spokeswoman for the State Auditor’s Office told FOX19 NOW they are aware of reports about Reynolds and “will take the information into consideration” during the county’s regular financial audit, which is ongoing right now.
Taxpayers will not fund Reynolds’ criminal defense, according to Butler County Chief Assistant Prosecutor Dan Ferguson. But county taxpayers did shell out the $100,000 insurance deductible to defend Reynolds in the civil lawsuit that Sheriff Richard Jones revealed this week is at least partially connected to Reynolds’ criminal case.

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