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Hillsboro (Ohio) Mayor Faces Multiple Felony Charges *update NOT GUILTY*

Written by Rogo Law on .

In February of 2016, Hillsboro (Ohio) Mayor W. Drew Hastings publicly demanded that the special prosecutors assigned by Highland County Common Pleas Judge Rocky Coss either “Indict me if they believe they have a valid criminal case or cease this politically-driven witch hunt, immediately.” His demand has now been answered with multiple felony charges.

Ohio Auditor of State, Dave Yost, announced that Hastings has been indicted on multiple felony charges, the four counts are:

  • Election falsification
  • Theft
  • Theft in office
  • Tampering with records

“Mr. Hastings has long complained about the length of time a careful, proper investigation takes. That investigation is now complete, and the evidence will be made public appropriately, in a court of law,” said Auditor Yost. “I am confident the jury of his peers will find that evidence amounts to proof beyond a reasonable doubt.”

The multiple felony charges against Hastings involve allegations of falsifying his address on a Declaration of Candidacy form, claiming a $500 city refund for a vacant building he owned, altering documents related to that refund, and instructing a contractor to use city Dumpsters for construction debris disposal. The Highland County grand jury’s detailed counts are as follows:

Count One: Election Falsification On or about January 12, 2015, Hastings allegedly provided false information regarding his address on his Declaration of Candidacy form, in violation of Ohio Revised Code (ORC) 3599.36.

Count Two: Theft in Office Between January 1, 2013, and December 31, 2015, Hastings, while serving as a public official, allegedly committed theft by tampering with records and by theft of property or services valued between $1,000 and $7,500, in violation of ORC 2913.42(A)(2) and ORC 2913.02(A)(3).

Count Three: Theft During the same period, Hastings is accused of knowingly obtaining or exerting control over property or services valued between $1,000 and $7,500, beyond the scope of the owner’s consent, in violation of ORC 2913.02(A).

Count Four: Tampering with Records Between June 24, 2015, and July 8, 2015, Hastings allegedly tampered with records with the intent to defraud, in violation of ORC 2913.42(A)(2).

A hearing for Hastings is scheduled for July 27 at 9 a.m. at the Highland County Common Pleas Court. Former Summit County Common Pleas Judge Patricia A. Cosgrove (ret.) will preside over the case after Judge Coss recused himself.

The investigation, headed by special prosecutor Robert Smith and assisted by Julia Korte, chief investigative attorney for the Ohio Ethics Commission, was extensive. Smith was appointed by Judge Coss following an application by Highland County Prosecutor Anneka Collins, who requested a special prosecutor to handle the case.

Search warrants executed as part of the investigation uncovered probable cause for forgery and theft in office, leading to the charges. Hillsboro Police Chief Todd Whited and Highland County Sheriff Donnie Barrera coordinated the search of the mayor’s office, the Safety and Service Director’s office, and the City Auditor’s office.

An affidavit filed by Sean A. Mahorney further alleges that Hastings asked Mahorney and his wife to use city Dumpsters for personal demolition work and then asked them to lie about it during the investigation. This allegation forms the basis of the obstruction charge initially filed against Hastings in January 2016, though this charge was later dismissed without prejudice to allow for further investigation.

Hastings has expressed his frustration with the investigation, calling it a “gross waste of taxpayers’ time and money” and claiming it has damaged the working relationship between the city and county. City Council President Lee Koogler has taken a cautious approach, waiting for further developments before deciding on any official action.

As the legal process unfolds, the residents of Hillsboro watch closely, hoping for clarity and resolution in a case that has cast a shadow over their city government.

— ARTICLE UPDATE —

A Highland County jury found Hillsboro Mayor Drew Hastings not guilty of the two remaining felony charges against him, after a special judge dismissed two other charges earlier in the day.

The jury, consisting of 10 women and two men, unanimously acquitted Hastings after about two hours of deliberation. When the verdicts were announced, Hastings sat quietly with his attorney, James Boulger, while his wife, Taryn, seated behind him in the gallery, burst into tears. A conviction on any of the felony counts would have required Hastings to immediately step down as mayor.

After special Judge Patricia Ann Cosgrove dismissed the jury and the trial concluded, Hastings hugged his wife and friends who had gathered in the courtroom, visibly relieved after an 11-month ordeal that began with an investigation leading to four felony indictments in July.

Reflecting on the experience, Hastings described waiting for the verdict as “very scary.”

“You feel you know how it should go, but that doesn’t mean it will,” he said. “It was almost anticlimactic, a small moment compared to what has been a stressful year for me and my family that ended in a two-minute reading of the verdict.”

Hastings expressed gratitude to his wife “for her strength and for standing by me.” He also thanked the jurors “for taking on a case that they maybe wouldn’t want to be involved in due to its visibility. It was a learning experience for the jury, and I know it was for me.”

He praised his attorney, “who did a great job with a difficult case, having to separate political agendas from the actual facts. At the end of the day, you can’t convince a jury on a witch hunt. Witch hunts don’t leave a lot of fingerprints.”

Hastings added, “I’m still serious about opening an uptown coffee house called ‘Insufficient Grounds.’”

Before the case went to the jury, the judge granted a defense motion to dismiss two of the four felony counts against Hastings. Boulger had requested the dismissal of one of two theft counts related to the alleged improper use of a city dumpster, as well as a charge of tampering with records concerning a $500 vacant property refund Hastings received.