Story

Published: Tuesday, January 9, 2007

Herron to ask for special prosecutor

Print Story

Email to Friend

Discuss this story

Findings include $97.50 for a ticket to a Rolling Stones concert purchased with county funds.

By D.A. WILKINSON

VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU

LISBON — Columbiana County Prosecutor Robert Herron said he will seek a special prosecutor to determine whether county Health Commissioner Robert Morehead broke the law.

A newly released special audit by the Ohio's auditor's office says Morehead owes $5,442 for spending unrelated to board activities, taking cash advances on a county credit card and overpayment for gasoline.

The audit labeled some of the findings as "illegal expenditure of public money."

Herron's office represents the health department and would have a conflict of interest in any prosecution of Morehead.

Herron said Monday he will need extra money from county commissioners to hire a special prosecutor or have to seek state help.

Herron said he cannot pay a special prosecutor out of his present budget. The commissioners recently voted to enact a 0.5-percent sales tax, but the money won't be available until midyear.

The prosecutor said as an alternative plan, he may ask new state Auditor Mary Taylor or Attorney General Marc Dann to provide an assistant attorney general from their offices to examine the case.

Herron said he had been waiting for the special audit to end before making the requests.

Health board response

Health board President Dr. Jack Amato and Vice President Shawn Apple said that they believe the findings are the same findings in the review of the department's spending in 2003.

"It's no new news," Apple said.

Atty. James Hartford, who represents Morehead, said he may comment after he examines the state auditor's documents from the special audit for 1996 to 2002 to determine how it arrived at the figures.

None of the findings for the special audit have been repaid, according to Courtney Whetstone, a spokeswoman for state Auditor Taylor.

Whetstone added that the findings are from two periods.

Morehead had repaid $5,834 after a state auditor's review of his spending in 2003 after The Vindicator questioned the purchases.

The new findings include $97.50 for a ticket to a Rolling Stones concert purchased with county funds Aug. 23, 1997.

Whetsone said there was a finding for the ticket because "it lacked any evidence to support the purchase was related to the operation of the department."

Herron said there had been talks and responses between Morehead and state auditors during the first examination of the department's spending.

In-county meals

The special audit says that while state examiners were looking at Morehead's charging about $30 on a county credit card a week for meals in the county, the board presented them with a letter saying that Morehead had authority to do so. The state dropped that part of the inquiry. Herron declined to comment.

Amato said health department purchasing regulations have been tightened since the initial audit was released in 2004.

Former Ohio Auditor Betty Montgomery conducted the review of 2003 and the special audit. Amato said the review cost the department $38,000. The state charges for the examinations.

The department has been waiting for months for the new report, which is about four pages long, Amato said. He expects the cost of the special audit to be as much or more than the first review.

Amato said the health board, and the general health advisory district that appoints members to the board of health, have been waiting for about 15 months to see the results of the special audit.

The review of 2003 spending assessed Amato $155 for going to Columbus the night before a conference. Amato said he lost the income of a morning in surgery and medical appointments by going to the conference early. Rather than hire a lawyer to fight the finding, Amato said he decided to pay. But he said he felt Montgomery was "grandstanding."

wilkinson@vindy.com

Tuesday, January 9, 2007