Ashland sheriff ditched probe

NORWALK — Ashland County Sheriff E. Wayne Risner refuses to offer any explanation as to why he won't provide a copy of a report filed by his office last year of its investigation of a Huron County sheriff's deputy. Risner The deputy was accused of taking property and some "marked" cash that wasn't listed among the property seized by deputies during a search warrant in April, according to a different report of another investigation the state attorney general's office conducted. Risner has refused to respond to questions about the report, which the Register requested in October. The sheriff's initial response came from Ashland County Chief Deputy David Blake, who at first acknowledged that a report was filed but later claimed there was no report. "At the completion of the investigation, all documents were turned over to the Huron County Sheriff's Office," Blake responded after that initial request for the report. "Please contact the Huron County Sheriff's Office for further information." The Huron County Sheriff's Office refuses to acknowledge there is a report and has ignored public records requests for it. Huron County Sheriff Todd Corbin has complained about news coverage of problems, including missing records and botched investigations, under his watch. Excerpt from report of a state investigation The Ashland County Sheriff's Office, it's assumed, kept a copy of the record, which is a standard practice. State law requires sheriff's offices to maintain certain records — criminal complaints, reports of investigations and employment records — and make those records available to anyone who requests them. Most records, including electronic records, are public and are required to be disclosed. The law does not grant a sheriff, or other public agencies, the right to ignore records requests or refuse to comply with them because they complain. Blake, in a subsequent email, reversed what he said earlier. "We were requested by the Huron County sheriff's office to conduct an internal investigation. When we were ready to interview the employee they asked us to stop. All the documents we had were turned over to them. We are not holding any records related to this case." It's unclear when or how the Ashland County sheriff's records were destroyed or who authorized the destruction of public records. Ashland County prosecutor Christopher Tunnell, Blake and Deputy Amy Carter, communications officer, all have not responded to emails sent to them this week reiterating the request that public records be provided.