For Immediate Release:                                                      

June 28, 2019                                                                         

Auditor Faber’s Statement Following the Indictment of Pike County Sheriff Charles Reader

Columbus – Auditor of State Keith Faber today released the following statement after the Grand Jury indictment of Pike County Sheriff Charles Reader:

“This has been a long and intensive investigation with unfortunate and very serious results. It is our job to hold public officials accountable and root out fraud, waste, and abuse in our communities. We do not take these charges lightly and recognize that no one is above the law. While this is a major step toward seeking justice, our team is fully prepared to present these findings to a jury as this matter moves forward. I’d like to commend everyone who worked on this case for the immense amount of effort and detail that has been dedicated to the investigation.”

The Grand Jury in Pike County presented Reader with 16 charges including 7 charges of Conflict of Interest, 4 charges of Theft in Office, 2 charges of Theft, 1 charge each of Tampering with Evidence, Tampering with Records, and Securing Writings by Deception.

The Auditor’s Special Investigations Unit took a lead role in the case that started last year. If government fraud is suspected, please contact the Auditor’s office online, by phone at 1-866-FRAUDOH, by letter, or email.

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The Auditor of State’s office, one of five independently elected statewide offices in Ohio is responsible for auditing more than 6,000 state and local government agencies. Under the direction of Auditor Keith Faber, the office also provides financial services to local governments, investigates and prevents fraud in public agencies, and promotes transparency in government.

Contact:

Allie Dumski

Press Secretary

(614) -644-1111