Prosecutors won’t charge former Ohio superintendent of schools
Associated Press
COLUMBUS
Prosecutors have decided not to file charges against Ohio’s former superintendent of schools, who resigned amid ethical questions about his relationship with an educational-testing contractor.
Stan Heffner left office last month after the state watchdog released a report that found Heffner had received a job offer from a Texas-based testing firm when he lobbied state lawmakers last year on a bill that benefited the company.
The inspector general’s report also found that Heffner misused his state email and cellphone to communicate with Educational Testing Services and inappropriately had Department of Education employees handle personal matters such as a pending move to Texas and the sale of his house in suburban Columbus.
City and county prosecutors said in a letter received by the inspector general Monday that they were troubled by the allegations but that they didn’t rise to the level of criminal conduct. They said they agreed with the decision of Inspector General Randy Meyer not to request criminal charges.
The prosecutors made their decision “despite our belief that Mr. Heffner acted inappropriately in both instances,” according to the letter from Lara Baker, chief Columbus prosecutor, and Jeff Blake, assistant county prosecutor.
Heffner said he was relieved by the prosecutors’ decision.
“I never committed a crime, and I’m just glad the prosecutors agree with that position,” Heffner said Monday.
“I never intended to hurt anybody. I never intended to profit from anything,” Heffner said. “I had only intended to do my work as interim superintendent, which I did fully, and I now have to just live with the fact that the inspector general issued a report saying what he did.”