Scioto County commissioner pleads guilty to theft in office, other felonies
Ohio Auditor of State
COLUMBUS — A Scioto County commissioner and his wife pleaded guilty Monday for their involvement in a public contracting scheme involving the Southern Ohio Port Authority and a Portsmouth-area business park, Auditor of State Keith Faber announced.
Commissioner Bryan Davis admitted to felony counts of theft in office, receiving stolen property and filing an incomplete/false tax return. His wife, Lorinda Davis, pleaded guilty to a single felony count of tampering with evidence.
The couple submitted their pleas Monday morning during a hearing in Scioto County Common Pleas Court and are scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 16. As part of a plea deal, Davis will pay restitution of about $67,000, and prosecutors have recommended a prison term as part of his final sentence.
“The people involved in this case used their positions to line their own pockets and then tried to hide their crimes,” Auditor Faber said. “Today’s pleas are a first step toward justice for the people of Scioto County and a warning for anyone else thinking about abusing the public trust.”
The Davises and two others were indicted in 2025 following an investigation by the Auditor of State’s Special Investigations Unit (SIU) based on a complaint alleging a potential unlawful interest in a public contract between the Southern Ohio Port Authority and an out-of-state company for a building at the Southern Ohio Aeronautical Regional (SOAR) Business Park, adjacent to the Greater Portsmouth Regional Airport.
Criminal cases against Robert Horton, who headed the Southern Ohio Port Authority and the Scioto County Economic Development Department, and his wife are pending in Scioto County Common Pleas Court.
The indictments allege Horton received kickbacks for securing a public contract for construction at the SOAR Business Park, and Davis used his position as county commissioner to secure the contract and public funding involved, among other alleged crimes.
Davis was suspended in his role as Scioto County commissioner pending the results of the criminal case against him. With his conviction, he will be removed from office and barred from holding public offices or positions in the future.
Attorneys from SIU were appointed by the Scioto County Prosecutor to serve as special prosecutor in the case.
Since 2019, the Special Investigations Unit has assisted in 165 convictions resulting in more than $17.8 million in restitution. The team receives hundreds of tips of suspected fraud annually. Tips can be submitted anonymously online or via SIU’s fraud hotline at 866-FRAUD-OH (866-372-8364).