Amanda Dean's Law passes Ohio House

Ohio state Rep. Kellie Deeter, R-Norwalk, announced Tuesday that two bills she sponsored, including one named after slain Huron County woman Amanda Dean, passed the Ohio House. House Bill 654, known as Amanda Dean's Law, aims to strengthen criminal penalties for abusing a corpse in light of the death of Dean, a 36-year-old mother of four, who was last seen on July 11, 2017, in Townsend Township, just outside Collins, according to a news release from Deeter's office. Her boyfriend, Fred Reer, 43, was indicted on Feb. 9, 2024, following an investigation led by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation at the request of the Huron County Sheriff's Office. In December, Reer pleaded guilty to four felonies: • One count of involuntary manslaughter, a first-degree felony — a charge amended from a count of murder • Two counts of tampering with evidence, each a third-degree felony • One count of gross abuse of a corpse, a fifth-degree felony According to the Ohio Attorney General's Office, investigators determined that Reer killed Dean inside a residence where the couple lived, cleaned the crime scene and disposed of evidence. Dean's body has never been found. On Jan. 5, Huron County Common Pleas Court Judge James Conway sentenced Reer to serve 14 years in prison. He additionally received credit for a little under two years served in jail. He was also placed on two to five years' probation upon release from prison. What's proposed? Amanda Dean's Law would strengthen the criminal penalties for two criminal charges: • Abuse of a corpse, which is currently a second-degree misdemeanor, is defined as when someone treats a human's remains "in a way that the person knows would outrage reasonable family sensibilities." — Under the new law, this charge would increase to a fifth-degree felony. • Gross abuse of a corpse, which is currently a fifth-degree felony, is defined as when someone treats a human's remains "in a way that would outrage reasonable community sensibilities." — Under the new law, this charge would increase to a fourth-degree felony. "House Bill 654 strengthens Ohio law by establishing enhanced penalties for offenders who dismember, mutilate or intentionally disfigure a human corpse, particularly when those acts are committed to conceal a crime, obstruct justice or impair a criminal investigation," Deeter said. "This bill is about dignity, accountability and justice. Amanda Dean's Law sends a clear message that Ohio will not tolerate conduct that dishonors the deceased or compounds the suffering of surviving family members." Another law passes House Deeter also pointed to another of her bills that passed the state House. House Bill 664, which allows licensed veterinarians to authorize veterinary technicians to administer vaccines, which would expand access to care for pets. The bill would create a process under which a licensed veterinarian may authorize a registered veterinary technician to treat animals on the veterinarian's behalf with vaccines and antiparasitic medication. "This legislation allows veterinarians to better utilize the education, training and clinical skills of registered veterinary technicians while maintaining appropriate oversight, delegation and accountability," Deeter said. Both pieces of legislation now advance to the Ohio Senate. No future hearings have appeared to be scheduled at this time for either bill.