Dover’s former mayor continues appeals attempts despite court rulings
DOVER (WJER) (May 20, 2024) – The city’s former mayor continues to fight the fines and restitution payments levied against him by two judges in criminal and civil cases.
Richard Homrighausen was Dover’s longest serving mayor but was disqualified following a theft in office conviction in 2022.
In the criminal case, Homrighausen’s attorney last week asked the Ohio Supreme Court to reconsider his appeal. The state’s highest court declined to review Homrighausen’s case in April.
Tuscarawas County Common Pleas Court Judge Elizabeth Thomakos over a year ago ordered Homrighausen to pay just over $17,000 in fines, costs and restitution to the city. He has since unsuccessfully tried twice to appeal that punishment and a jury’s conviction.
In their filing, Homrighausen’s attorneys write, “This Court should accept jurisdiction to ensure that public officials are not convicted of theft in-office for allegedly stealing government money that never belonged to the government in the first place and to require the State to prove that a purported victim of a theft has some possessory interest or legal claim to the property at issue.”
In a separate civil case, Common Pleas Court Judge Michael Ernest ordered Homrighausen to reimburse the city $106,000 for pay he received during a suspension and wedding payments he pocketed.
Homrighausen is also attempting to appeal that ruling.
Ernest on Monday gave Homrighausen two weeks to produce a $109,000 bond required for the appeal or else the city will be allowed to immediately attempt to collect the judgment amount.