In The News 28 October 2016

UPDATED: Judge expands 'gag' order in mayor's case

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A trial brief was filed this week in Highland County Common Pleas Court in the pending criminal case against Hillsboro mayor W. Drew Hastings.

Hastings’ attorney, James T. Boulger of Chillicothe, said the state’s discovery is “voluminous.” Click here to see full trial brief. 

Boulger outlined a count-by-count contradiction of the charges against Hastings.

Summit County Common Pleas Judge Patricia A. Cosgrove also expanded the gag order regarding pretrial and trial publicity in an order filed Oct. 18. Click here to see the full order.

As previously reported in The Highland County Press, Ohio Auditor of State Dave Yost announced July 12 that Hastings was indicted on the following counts:

• Election falsification;

• Theft;

• Theft in office; and,

• Tampering with records.

According to Auditor Yost, the charges against Hastings involve allegedly listing a false address on his Declaration of Candidacy form; for claiming a city refund of $500 for a vacant building he owned and for altering documents related to the refund; and for instructing a contractor to use city Dumpsters to dispose of construction debris.

Boulger entered a plea of not guilty on each of the four counts on Hastings’ behalf and asked to waive the reading of the indictment at Hastings’ arraignment on Aug. 1.

Boulger and Auditor of State Assistant Legal Counsel Robert Smith, who was appointed special prosecutor in the case, met at the Highland County Courthouse earlier this month to speak with retired Summit County Common Pleas Judge Patricia A. Cosgrove on a conference call. The media was not permitted to attend the hearing, per Judge Cosgrove.

Boulger and Smith said that they were not permitted to discuss the particulars of the hearing, based on a gag order set by Cosgrove at the arraignment.

A jury trial is scheduled to begin Monday, Nov. 7 at 8 a.m. Cosgrove said that the trial would likely take two to three days.

For more information on the case, go to: http://www.highlandcountypress.com/Content/Mobile-Application/Mobile-Application/Article/UPDATED-Hillsboro-mayor-Drew-Hastings-faces-multiple-felony-charges/-10/-10/33901

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