Butler County Auditor Roger Reynolds pleads not guilty; trial set for August
Feb. 24—HAMILTON — Butler County Auditor Roger Reynolds pleaded not guilty to five criminal charges, including bribery, Thursday in Butler County Common Pleas Court.
It was Reynolds' first court appearance since a grand jury handed down a five-count indictment on Feb. 9.
Reynolds was released on his own recognizance and ordered by Visiting Judge Daniel Hogan to report to pre-trial services if his left the state. Defense attorney Chad Ziepfel indicated Reynolds has family in Kentucky and agriculture he tends to there.
Reynolds' trial date is set for Aug. 15.
Last week, the Ohio Supreme Court appointed Hogan, a retired Franklin County Common Pleas judge, to reside over Reynolds' case after all seven Butler County Common Pleas judges in the general division recused themselves.
Reynolds, 52, is facing charges of bribery, two counts of unlawful interest in a public contract and misdemeanor charges of unlawful use of authority and conflict of interest. The charges stem from allegations that Reynolds used his public office to further his own interests.
Bribery is a third-degree felony with a possible maximum sentence of three years in prison and a maximum fine of $10,000. The other two felonies are fourth-degree charges with penalties of six to nine months behind bars.
The charges relate to Reynolds allegedly using his position to facilitate the sale of his father's property in West Chester Twp.
Reynolds' attorney for the criminal case, Chad Ziepfel, has denied any wrongdoing on his client's behalf.
"Mr. Reynolds denies these allegations and will contest the suspension. We again ask the public to keep an open mind about this matter until the real facts come out at trial," Ziepfel said.
Reynolds was appointed auditor in 2008 and elected to his first full term in 2010.
The criminal case is being litigated by a special prosecutor, Brad Tammaro, from the attorney general's office, and the charges came after a months-long investigation by the Butler County Sheriff's Office and Bureau of Criminal Investigation.
Prosecutors allege the bribery crime happened Nov. 8, 2019, and on or about Sept. 17, 2021, when Reynolds, an elected official, "approached a developer attempting to gain approval for a development project and offered to sell the development company his father's land for $500,000, 2-3 acres of land valued at $21,000.00 by the Butler County Auditor's Office, and requested the developer employ him as a consultant at a fee of $200,000 to guide the development project through local governmental requirements," according to the bill for particulars filed this week.
A second alleged felony charge of unlawful interest in a public contract happened between April 6, 2021 through Aug. 31, 2021, when Reynolds used his office to influence a public contract.
Specifically, Reynolds influenced governmental officials to secure approval of a Tax Increment Financing proposal provide public funding from three government entities for infrastructure and improvements to Hamilton-Mason Road that would benefit himself or a member of his family by providing public funds that would enhance the ability to develop property owned by his family, according to court documents.
Last week, Attorney General Dave Yost filed documents with the Ohio Supreme Court asking for suspension proceedings to begin against Reynolds.
Tammaro, Ziepfel and Reynolds declined comment following the hearing.
West Chester Twp. Fiscal Officer Bruce Jones who, is challenging Reynolds in the May primary, made a statement after the hearing calling for Reynolds to resign.
Jones said, "This is a Butler County nightmare. The Ohio Attorney General, who does not play political games, but has seen all of the evidence, has said Roger Reynolds should resign immediately. The five criminal charges and civil lawsuit against Roger Reynolds suggests he's nothing more that a common con man who takes advantage of senior citizens going through hard times."
He added, "Although he could end this bad dream by resigning, Roger Reynolds will again fail to do the right thing."
