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Inspector says AG investigation to be thorough
By JULIE CARR SMYTH
AP Statehouse Correspondent
COLUMBUS (AP) - Resignation is far from the end for former Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann, who quit Wednesday amid a firestorm of criticism from all sides.
A coalition of law enforcement and administrative agencies is soon to be convened under Inspector General Tom Charles to coordinate efforts and share resources as they review the conduct of Dann and others within his office, Charles said Thursday. Impeachment was the only legal threat to be raised against Dann that had been dropped as a result of him voluntarily stepping down.
Ironically, the gathering will look much like the task force that investigated former Gov. Bob Taft, his aides and associates in the rare coin scandal that enveloped the Taft administration and helped Dann get elected.
Charles said his probe will be wide-ranging. He said it could look at all aspects of the attorney general's operation, even before Dann took office, and not just allegations raised during a sexual harassment investigation that saw three Dann aides forced from their jobs and two others disciplined.
Dann admitted to an affair with a subordinate after the investigative report was released and threatened to reveal the relationship. |
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Governor: top quality for next attorney general is maturity
By ANDREW WELSH-HUGGINS
Associated Press Writer
COLUMBUS (AP) - Gov. Ted Strickland quickly named maturity as the top quality he's looking for in a successor to disgraced Attorney General Marc Dann.
Not a surprise, given the steady stream of tales emerging from the office involving alcohol-soaked pizza parties, alleged drunken driving in state vehicles and parties with young employees.
It's clear the 66-year-old Strickland, who hasn't ruled out running for a second term in 2010, wasn't referring to age. So what did he mean, and how do the possible replacements measure up to the "m" word?
"It's important that people of experience and strong qualifications seek public office and that's certainly the kind of individual that I will be looking for," Strickland said early in Wednesday's news conference, minutes after Dann announced his resignation.
OK. That was probably a nod to Dann's acknowledgment May 2 that he was not prepared for the office or to run such a large agency. So what about the maturity part?
"Experience," Strickland elaborated. "Management ability."
"Those certainly are criteria that I think are essential," he said. |
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| THURSDAY MAY 15, 2008 |
Ohio Supreme Court rejects appeal in foster son death
COLUMBUS (AP) - The Ohio Supreme Court has rejected a southwest Ohio woman's appeal of her conviction for murdering her 3-year-old foster son by leaving him bound in a closet for two days.
Liz Carroll, 32, was convicted in February 2007 and sentenced by Clermont County Common Pleas Judge Robert Ringland to life in prison with no chance for parole for 54 years.
Carroll had acknowledged in grand jury testimony that she and her husband bound their developmentally disabled foster son, Marcus Fiesel, in a blanket and tape and left him in a closet in 2006 while they attended a weekend family reunion in Kentucky.
Carroll's attorney has since said Ringland committed numerous errors during the trial.
In December, the 12th Ohio District Court of Appeals rejected that argument and upheld Carroll's conviction. Last week, Supreme Court justices also turned down the appeal.
Carroll's husband, 31-year-old David Carroll Jr., also is serving time in prison for the boy's murder.
(Refer to page 5 of the Daily Chief-Union) |
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Former Loveland mayor sentenced to four years in jail
CINCINNATI (AP) - A southwest Ohio town's former mayor has been sentenced to four years in jail in a scheme that prosecutors say stole about $270,000 from friends and family.
Former Loveland Mayor Lee Skierkiewicz says he was willing to repay the money that he was accused of stealing. He says he never meant to hurt any of his friends.
Skierkiewicz was once a successful investment broker. Prosecutors say he convinced his in-laws and a former Loveland council member to invest in his hedge fund.
Hamilton County Common Pleas Judge David Davis says he doesn't care that Skierkiewicz promised to repay the money. Davis says Skierkiewicz's pledge to repay his associates wasn't believable.
Skierkiewicz was mayor of Loveland from 1995 to 1999. The city is about 25 miles northeast of Cincinnati.
(Refer to page 5 of the Daily Chief-Union) |
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