E-mails between Dann, Utovich released on public record request

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Jessia Utovich

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Former Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann

In one e-mail, Dann says his situation with his wife was on ‘life support.’

COLUMBUS (AP) — Former Attorney General Marc Dann’s scheduler asked him to chase off at least two men with state e-mail addresses who had made advances toward her, e-mail records released Wednesday show.

The records were among 3,000 e-mails between Dann and Jessica Utovich last year through late summer. The attorney general’s office released them as the result of public records requests.

Dann resigned May 14 amid allegations of sexual harassment of two other employees by a supervisor in his office. He also admitted to an extramarital affair with Utovich.

Utovich quit the same day. The harassment allegations remain under investigation.

Dann, who is married and lives in Liberty, told internal investigators in sworn testimony that Utovich sometimes spent the night at an apartment he kept in Columbus.

Utovich forwarded Dann a series of e-mails between Utovich and a man using an Ohio School Facilities Commission computer. Utovich tries to schedule a conference call between the man and officials in her office. In his response, he calls Utovich “the best looking, most efficient, and lovable staff member in the AG’s office.” In another, he says she needs “a weekend away how about it my treat.”

In the forward to Dann, Utovich writes: “can you address this in your conference call with him? please?”

In another e-mail, an invitation to coffee by a co-worker prompts Utovich to tell Dann to “send him farther away.”

In another series, Utovich says she found a picture of Dann and his wife, Alyssa Lenhoff, on a desktop and tells him she will get it framed for him.

Dann responds: “Don’t waste money on framing. The situation is on life support.”

Utovich replies: “My situation or yours? My head feels like it’s on life support.”

Dann responds: “Mine.”

A message seeking comment was left with Dann’s lawyer, Michael Harshman.

Most of the other e-mails are concerned with office business, although they include significant kidding, Utovich complaining about co-workers and repeated obscenities.