(COLUMBUS, Ohio) — Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced the filing of an amicus brief with the Ohio Supreme Court in support of Auditor Keith Faber’s office calling for the Court to initiate proceedings for removing Pike County Sheriff Charles Reader from office.
As the chief law officer in the state, Attorney General Yost has an obligation to protect Ohioans. Since Sheriff Reader’s alleged corruption directly impacts the State of Ohio and the AG’s office, Attorney General Yost has filed a brief supporting the Special Prosecutor’s Motion to Commence Suspension Proceedings against Reader.
“Sheriff Reader violated the public’s trust when he used his office to benefit himself rather than the public,” Yost said. “Reader has been credibly accused and indicted. Under these circumstances, I don’t see how he can be an effective law enforcement officer.”
The brief states, “I support the request to establish a special commission to review whether the Sheriff should be suspended from office under R.C. 3.16.”
Yost reiterated that, “Removing Reader from office will improve, not undermine, criminal justice in Pike County … Reader’s removal will have no effect whatsoever on Ohio’s ability to prosecute the defendants who stand accused of murdering the eight members of the Rhoden, Gilley, and Manley families in April of 2016.”
The Attorney General’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation arrived at the Pike County scenes hours after the incidents were discovered. BCI’s Special Investigations Unit led the investigation from that point on. Reader played no direct role and had no direct involvement in the investigation. His presence was only in conjunction with, not independent of, BCI.
