Davis
Submitted photoPORTSMOUTH, Ohio ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥” Scioto County residents are calling on a county commissioner to resign after he was indicted earlier this month.
On Friday, the Scioto County grand jury handed up indictments against Scioto County Commissioner Bryan Davis and his wife, Lorinda Davis, as part of an ongoing investigation into alleged bribes and public contracts involving the Southern Ohio Port Authority and a Portsmouth-area business park, state Auditor Keith Faber announced.
Bryan Davis faces 13 felony counts, including engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, theft in office, money laundering, aggravated theft, tampering with evidence, attempted tampering with evidence, receiving stolen property, forgery, obstructing justice, tampering with records and filing incomplete, false and fraudulent returns.
Lorinda Davis faces 10 felony counts, including engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, money laundering, tampering with evidence, attempted tampering with evidence, receiving stolen property, forgery, obstructing justice, tampering with records and filing incomplete, false and fraudulent returns.
ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œThis is an outright abuse of the public trust,ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ Faber said. ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œWe will work to ensure justice is served for the people of Scioto County.ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥
Since then, both of Bryan DavisÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™ counterparts in the CommissionersÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™ Office have asked him to resign from his public position.
ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œI have been in the position of Commissioner for a short period of time, and was not in this position when these alleged offences occurred. I believe that a person is innocent until proven guilty, but I also believe that being under indictment would distract from doing the business of Scioto County,ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ Commissioner Merit Smith, who was appointed last month, said in a statement.
Commissioner Scottie Powell said he was part of the investigation into the Davises. He, too, called on Bryan Davis to resign, using a previous decision by the commissioners to terminate Robert Horton when he was indicted as precedent.
In February, Horton, who headed the Southern Ohio Port Authority and the Scioto County Economic Development Department, was indicted on 15 criminal charges, including engaging in a pattern of corrupt activities, theft in office, telecommunications fraud, aggravated theft, money laundering, tampering with public records, tampering with evidence, bribery, having an unlawful interest in a public contract and falsification.
His wife, Lioubov Horton, also was indicted on 12 charges. Official documents included several redacted names, suggesting Scioto County could see others named in future indictments.
FridayÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s 13-page indictment, filed in Scioto County Common Pleas Court, says Horton received kickbacks for securing a public contract for construction at the SOAR Business Park, while Davis used his position as county commissioner to secure the contract and public funding involved.
The indictment charges both menÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s wives with receiving related kickback payments through consulting firms they owned.
Bryan Davis did not respond to a request for comment Monday.
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