WAVERLY, Ohio (WKRC) — A Pike County grand jury indicted the self-proclaimed “People’s Sheriff” on 16 felony and misdemeanor charges Friday related to evidence, money, loans and cars in the sheriff’s impound lot.
Sheriff Charlie Reader faces eight felonies of tampering with evidence, tampering with records, theft and theft in office. The tampering with evidence charges and theft charges relate to evidence envelopes, their contents and vehicles from the sheriff’s impound lot. Several misdemeanor counts of conflict of interest involve loans Reader is accused of taking from his subordinates at the sheriff’s office and vehicles.
“Any indictment involving felonies against a public official, especially a county sheriff, is a serious indictment,” said Robert Smith, the special prosecutor from the Auditor of State who conducted the investigation.
A press release from the auditor’s office stated that investigation had been underway for a year. Last December, a search warrant was executed and subpoenas were served on the Pike Co. Sheriff’s Office for payroll records, information about drug forfeiture funds and task force money. According to the indictment, days later, Reader tampered with evidence, records and stole from an evidence envelope.
In November 2018, an anonymous complaint was filed with the Auditor of State. The writer claimed Reader had a gambling problem, owed money to deputies and a car dealer and that he used money from drug seizures to fund his gambling habit. The writer also claimed that everyone was “scared to death of him.”
Reader is also accused of taking several cars from the sheriff’s impound lot for his family members to use. The alleged activity occurred in 2017.
Neither Reader nor his attorney, James Boulger, would comment on the allegations Friday. Earlier in the week, Reader posted on his Facebook page “Before you talk s$*t. Mention how good I was to you till you lost my respect. Mention everything I did for you, tell them how I helped you when no one else gave a damn! Then try to trash my name.”
Reader was not taken into custody Friday but will be served with a summons to appear in court on Tuesday, July 2.
A spokesperson for the sheriff’s office, Derek Myers, made a brief comment about operations at the sheriff’s office.
“The sheriff is making sure the the deputies are going to continue to respond to calls here in the county and the citizens should rest assured that their calls are still going to be answered for service,” Myers said.
Reader was thrust into the national spotlight in April 2016 when eight members of the Rhoden and Gilley families were shot to death in their trailers in rural Pike County. Reader called Ohio’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation to assist in the investigation. BCI led the massive investigation which resulted in the arrest of Billy, Angela, Jake and George Wagner for the murders.
Reader stood next to then Attorney General and Governor-elect Mike DeWine last November when the indictments of the Wagners were announced. Friday afternoon, Attorney General Dave Yost issued a statement about how the indictment of Reader could impact the Wagner prosecutions.
“This will have no impact on the Wagner capital murder cases, as Sheriff Reader was not the primary witness for any issue of fact or law. Ohio sheriffs act with integrity and honor, and this rare occurrence does not reflect the excellent work they do daily throughout their counties,” Yost said.
Sources have told Local 12 that Reader was not involved in major parts of the investigation. But defense attorneys may try to use his indictment to call into question the investigation since he was a public face of it.
Since Reader has not been convicted of a crime, he can remain sheriff. However, the Democratic party in Pike County could ask him to step aside. Members of the Democratic party did not return a call seeking comment. However, rumors have circulated that party officials have already selected a replacement for Reader.
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