Special commission releases ruling on Homrighausen suspension
DOVER — A special commission appointed by Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Maureen O'Connor issued a final determination Tuesday suspending Richard Homrighausen as mayor of Dover.
The mayor announced last week in a press release that he had been informed that he would be suspended and that he would comply with the order.
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"My compliance with the order of the special commission is not an admission of any wrongdoing as mayor. I will continue to defend the allegations brought by the special prosecutor. I maintain my innocence."
Dover officials could take no action until they received official notification from the court.
On March 10, Homrighausen was indicted by a Tuscarawas County grand jury on several felony counts, including theft in office, having an unlawful interest in a public contract and six counts of filing incomplete, false and fraudulent returns.
State auditors determined Homrighausen performed 231 marriages between January 2014 and May 2021 and received payments totaling $9,295 in cash and checks that he failed to remit to the city. He is charged with failing to report the income on tax returns.
On March 14, Robert F. Smith, a member of the State Auditor's Office who has been appointed special prosecutor to prosecute the criminal case against the mayor, filed a notice with O'Connor requesting that she appoint a special commission to make a preliminary determination as to whether Homrighausen should be suspended.
The chief justice appointed three retired judges — John G. Haas, formerly of Stark County Common Pleas Court, R. Alan Corbin, formerly of Brown County Common Pleas Court and Reeve W. Kelsey, formerly of Wood County Common Pleas Court — to the commission.
The commission convened on April 15 to review the request to commence suspension proceedings.
"The special commission preliminarily determined that the alleged conduct underlying Homrighausen's performance of the duties of his office as set forth in the indictment and the documents and materials provided by the chief justice, and as covered by the charges, adversely affect the right and interests of the public," according to the court filing.
On April 19, the commission issued a preliminary determination that Homrighausen should be suspended from office. On April 27, the mayor's attorney filed with the commission a notice that he would not be contesting the determination.
"Consistent with that notice, Homrighausen did not file a notice contesting the preliminary determination within 14 days after he received notice of the preliminary determination," the filing said.
As a result, the preliminary determination is now the final determination, and Homrighausen is suspended from office.
Now that the written report on the suspension has been received, a petition can be sent to Tuscarawas County Probate Court to appoint an interim mayor for the period of the suspension.
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A jury trial in Homrighausen's criminal case is scheduled for Sept. 20 before Tuscarawas County Common Pleas Judge Elizabeth Lehigh Thomakos.
This article originally appeared on The Times-Reporter: Special commission releases ruling on Homrighausen suspension
