A Butler County grand jury returned five indictments for bribery and leveraging his public office to further his own interests. Three are felonies and two are misdemeanors.
The bribery charge is a 3rd-degree felony and carries a potential 9 months to 3 years sentence and a fine up to $10,000. The other two felonies are 4th-degree for unlawful interest in a public contract and carry penalties of 6 to 9 months.
Jones said if Reynolds is found guilty on all counts, the maximum penalty would be seven years in prison. He said the investigation is ongoing and he believes Reynolds should resign now.
“The law is the law and the law says he gets his day in court and he can fight that, but the process has started to temporarily suspend him from office,” Jones said. “I have my opinion and I think he should resign immediately.”
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost’s Office announced they will be sending a copy of the indictment to the Ohio Supreme Court “to initiate suspension proceedings against a public official who has been charged with a felony in a state or federal court when the felony relates to the performance of the official’s duties.”
Jones said they began hearing complaints about Reynolds about seven months ago and began investigating in earnest when a story about 88-year-old Gerald Parks came out. They began interviewing Reynolds’ staff, other elected officials, about 30 people or more.
The crux of the case is Reynolds allegedly has been trying to help his dad sell 25 acres along Hamilton Mason Road between Mauds Hughes and Cincinnati Dayton roads for a 122-unit senior living development called Red Oaks. It has received zoning approval from the West Chester trustees, but a major road improvement is one of the conditions for it moving forward.
Parks sued Reynolds, Liberty Twp. Trustee Tom Farrell and Liberty Twp. last fall alleging bribery, ethics violations and interference in the development on land he owns in Liberty Twp. He also named former township trustee candidate Buck Rumpke in the suit.
The bulk of the lawsuit concerns Parks’ business dealings with Reynolds — that allegedly cost Parks to lose out on several potential $1 million-plus sales — but he is also accused of making a $500 campaign contribution to Farrell in exchange for voting against a development on Parks’ land.
During his press conference, Jones was asked “are any of these charges related to other elected officials?”
Jones said, “not at this time.”
Reynolds could not be reached for comment, but despite looming legal troubles he told the Journal-News recently he will not leave office and is running for re-election.
“It’s unfortunate that a local zoning dispute has risen to this level,” Reynolds said. “I look forward to answering the accusations and continuing as auditor. My team and I are doing tremendous work in the office and we’re not going to be distracted by petty politics.”
He is scheduled to be arraigned in Butler County Common Pleas Court Judge Jennifer McElfresh’s court Feb. 17 at 1 p.m. It is expected all seven judges will recuse themselves after the arraignment as they did in the civil lawsuit filed against Reynolds last fall.
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