Delaware County GOP operative's DUI case transferred to special prosecutor in Henry County

Dean Narciso, Columbus Dispatch
Updated ·1 min read
2

An influential Delaware County Republican operative facing criminal charges of impaired driving with a gun in her car will have her case decided by a special prosecutor from northwest Ohio.

Henry County Prosecutor Gwen Howe-Gebers has begun reviewing the case of Catherine Nelson, who on Wednesday sought to have a Delaware County municipal judge suppress all evidence stemming from an April 19 traffic stop in Genoa Township on suspicion of impaired driving.

Genoa Township police body camera video shows Catherine Nelson before officers arrested her April 19 on suspicion of impaired driving.
Genoa Township police body camera video shows Catherine Nelson before officers arrested her April 19 on suspicion of impaired driving.

The entire case was referred to Howe-Gebers, who will become a special prosecutor, who "steps into the role of the county prosecutor in whichever jurisdiction the special prosecutor is asked to serve," according to Brandi Orsini, spokeswoman for the Delaware County Prosecutor's Office.

"In this case, the Henry County Prosecutor will handle the case on our office’s behalf in Delaware County, not Henry County," according to Orsini.

Delaware County judges and prosecutor, all Republicans, recused themselves from Nelson's case, apparently due to conflict of interest.

Nelson, 68, has for years been a force in Delaware County politics, organizing fundraisers, helping select candidates and choosing opponents for those not aligned with her ideology, multiple Republican party sources have said. She has not held public office.

After township police arrested Nelson, they alleged they found a loaded handgun in her SUV, along with a bottle of liquor. Nelson told police that she doesn't drink but later said she had one or two drinks earlier that day. She also said a medical procedure earlier that day required her to take codeine for pain. She later recanted both statements.

A date for Nelson's next court appearance had not been set as of Thursday afternoon.

dnarciso@dispatch.com

A previous version of this story incorrectly stated in which county the case would be heard

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Northwest Ohio prosecutor to hear Delaware County GOP DUI, gun case