HILLSBORO, Ohio (AP) - A veteran standup comedian in his second term as an Ohio mayor faced trial Monday on charges alleging official misconduct.
Drew Hastings faces four felony counts. An unusually large jury pool of around 80 people was summoned for the case that's been closely watched and debated in the small city of Hillsboro, with a population of some 6,600 people 60 miles east of Cincinnati.
In pretrial filings, Hastings' attorney blasted the accusation he falsified his residency by pointing out Ohio's attorney general had already investigated that matter in 2013 and also saying that it's not an issue for a jury to consider.
Special prosecutor Robert F. Smith of the Ohio auditor's office has said water records and furnishings show that Hastings' real residence is his farm outside the city, not his downtown apartment.
Attorney James Boulger described other charges as misleading, improperly combining Hastings' private life with his mayorship.
Hastings is also charged with misuse of a city trash bin and altering documents to claim a $500 building fee refund. Boulger said the refund involved an ordinance the city doesn't enforce.
The Republican was handily re-elected to a second four-year term last November. He has said he's done nothing wrong, but has been targeted for trying to represent the citizens "without the consent of an established political structure."
Retired Summit County Common Pleas Judge Patricia Ann Cosgrove will hear the case after a Highland County judge recused himself.
She has ordered trial participants not to discuss the case with the news media or comment about it on social media.
The Times-Gazette newspaper of Hillsboro reported potential defense witnesses were summoned to report Nov. 8, indicating jury selection was expected to last all day Monday.
It also reported that a second special prosecutor, Julie Korte of the Ohio Ethics Commission, withdrew after concluding there was insufficient evidence of ethics violations in the Hastings case.
Published: Tue, Nov 08, 2016
