Ohio Supreme Court won’t hear Homrighausen’s appeal
DOVER (WJER) (May 2, 2024) – The Ohio Supreme Court will not hear former Dover Mayor Richard Homrighausen’s appeal of his criminal conviction for theft in office.
A jury in 2022 found Homrighausen guilty of that fifth-degree felony and five related offenses. The conviction disqualified Homrighausen from the mayor’s post after more than 30 years in office.
Judge Elizabeth Thomakos sentenced Homrighausen to pay just over $17,000 in fines, restitution and court and investigative costs. That has been on hold during the appeal process.
The Fifth District Court of Appeals denied Homrighausen’s first appeal attempt in January.
The Ohio Supreme Court voted 5-2 this week not to accept Homrighausen’s latest appeal for review. Justices Patrick Fischer and Jennifer Brunner were the dissenting votes.
The charges against Homrighausen stem from his pocketing of wedding fees, according to the State Auditor’s Office. Lawyers from that office claimed Homrighausen knew he should have given the money to the city. Homrighausen’s attorneys argued it was an accepted practice and he didn’t know it was a crime.
Thomakos’s sentence included about $9,300 in restitution to the city. The city’s lawyers are trying to collect another $106,000 from the former mayor in a separate civil case. Homrighausen has appealed that award. There’s a hearing scheduled for May 13 as the lawyers argue about whether that appeal should be allowed to move forward.