Inspector general begins investigation into office

By Marc Kovac

The inspector general said he has set no time limit on the investigation.

COLUMBUS — Ohio Inspector General Tom Charles has launched what he says will be a full and impartial investigation of the attorney general’s office.

“We’re going to look at all the allegations,” Charles told reporters Thursday. “We’re going to look at them and leave the chips fall where they may. We have no agenda except to do this right and be fair and aboveboard.”

Charles spoke to reporters less than 24 hours after former Attorney General Marc Dann of Liberty tendered his resignation to Gov. Ted Strickland.

Lawmakers passed, and the governor signed, legislation Tuesday giving Charles’ office authority to conduct an investigation into the attorney general’s office. That bill allows the inspector general to “administer oaths, examine witnesses under oath and issue subpoenas ... to compel the attendance of witnesses and the production of all kinds of books, records, papers and other tangible things.”

Charles, formerly of Hubbard, is to provide a full report at the end of his work to the governor, the speaker of the House and Senate president. Up to $250,000 was to be appropriated for the effort.

On Wednesday, the inspector general launched that investigation, visiting the attorney general’s offices in Columbus and Youngstown and confiscating records and electronic equipment.

“The volume is a lot,” Charles said of the materials taken. “The volume will increase as computers are downloaded. ... That’s probably going to be an ongoing process.”

The overall collection process went smoothly, he said.

“For the most part, everybody understood and was cooperative; I didn’t see any real major glitches, so I think it went well, and we obtained what we needed to obtain,” Charles said.

On his direct interaction with Dann, “I’d say, as a general overall comment, it went OK.”

Charles said his office also has contacted other agencies conducting investigations, including the state ethics commission, the Ohio State Highway Patrol and the Franklin County Prosecutor’s Office, to coordinate the efforts.

“We’ve had numbers of phone calls of people who want to talk, of people who want to complain, of people who want to give us evidence,” Charles said. “We’ll accept all that. ... We don’t have a time frame. We’d like to get through all of this as quickly as we can. But to do a thorough job, we don’t know what a lot of time is.”

As for the scope of the investigation, Charles said: “It’s all and anything that we find that’s alleged to be wrongdoing. ... There’s no limits.”

Any potential criminal charges would be left to Franklin County and Columbus prosecutors, who Charles said would be provided any information uncovered during his investigation.

mkovac@dixcom.com