He won with 64% of the vote in the reliably Republican county. Reynolds re-elected, despite indictmentĪnother letter from a Butler County resident said corruption should not be tolerated and asked for a 14-18 month prison sentence.ĭespite Reynolds' indictment, the Butler County Republican Party endorsed him in the November 2022 election. In his letter, her son said Reynolds sought revenge after Rogers defeated him in the 2006 Republican primary and he urged Hogan to sentence Reynolds to the maximum amount of prison time. Rogers, the auditor before Reynolds, pled guilty to bank and mail fraud and resigned in 2008. One letter, from the son of the former Butler County auditor Kay Rogers, asked for a harsh penalty. "There were three or four letters that painted a completely different picture of you," Hogan told Reynolds. He referenced the many letters from neighbors, family and former employees that described Reynolds as a good auditor and good citizen. Hogan said he received more letters in this case than "any other case that comes to mind" and that he wasn't sure what to think of them. He added that he wanted girls to be involved in golf to be able to network later on in their careers. Reynolds said he was not looking to benefit his kids or himself in any way and that he just wanted other kids to have what his daughters had. He said he wanted the girls’ team to have the same opportunity as the boys’ team to use the Four Bridges Country Club facilities. Reynolds grew emotional when he told the judge about his intentions with the private golf academy. “I'm here because I made mistakes and at no point have I tried to be dismissive or put that blame on anyone else,” he said. He said he should have sought an ethics opinion with the county prosecutor's office. Reynolds also addressed the court for the first time. It was an idea that never went anywhere," Ziepfel said. Reynolds' attorney Chad Ziepfel argued that there was "no contract, no money lost and nothing gained by Reynolds" as a result of the meetings with Lakota School officials and the people with the Four Bridges Country Club. Tammaro said a fine would essentially be meaningless to a person in Reynolds’ position and community control sanctions would be demeaning to the crime committed. Prosecutor Brad Tammaro with the Ohio Attorney General's Office said Reynolds' actions were a betrayal of the trust and respect inherent in the county auditor's office. However, the judge can impose prison time if the offense is related to a public office.īrad Tammaro, prosecutor for the Ohio Attorney General, argued for prison time during the sentencing of Roger Reynolds. The Ohio sentencing guidelines mandate "community control sanctions" like house arrest or community service for a nonviolent fourth-degree felony without a prior felony conviction. Reynolds, a Republican, could have been sentenced to up to a year and a half in prison and a $5,000 fine. He said he hopes the 30 days in county jail will be a deterrent to other public officials in Ohio. Hogan told Reynolds to look up the word "hubris." In explaining his sentencing decision, Hogan said he was once advised that "prison should be reserved for people we are afraid of, not for people we are displeased with." "There's no victim – other than everybody in the county that trusted the auditor." "Beyond some wasted time, perhaps, there's no harm here," Hogan said. Reynolds was a member of the country club and his daughter played for the high school golf team at the time. It's illegal for a public official to authorize or influence a public contract that either the official, a family member or a business associate has an interest in. Hogan sentenced Reynolds to five years community control, $5,000 fine and 30 days in jail that will have to be completed over the five years. Visiting Judge Daniel Hogan listens to Roger Reynolds, former Butler County auditor, speak.
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