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Ethics charges filed against suspended Pike County sheriff

Posted at 12:33 PM, Nov 23, 2019
and last updated 2019-11-23 19:31:40-05

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A state ethics charge has been filed against an Ohio county sheriff already facing multiple felonies.

The Chillicothe Gazette reports Pike County Sheriff Charles Reader has pleaded not guilty to a misdemeanor count of making a false statement to the Ohio Ethics Commission.

He is accused of failing to report $7,500 in loans and gifts on a financial disclosure statement.

Reader said in a statement that “politics do not belong in law enforcement.” He announced Friday he’s planning to run as an independent candidate for sheriff next year.

Reader, who is suspended, was indicted in Pike County in June on charges that include theft in office and tampering with evidence after authorities investigated allegations that he stole confiscated drug money.

Eight family members were slain in Pike County in 2016.