Former Scioto County Commissioner Bryan Davis is going to prison for 30 months, must repay tens of thousands of dollars and is permanently barred from holding public office following his conviction in the Scioto County public corruption case.
But a filing from Davis’s own attorney reveals another major development in the case: former Scioto County Economic Development Director Robert Horton may not go to prison at all.
Davis appeared in Scioto County Common Pleas Court Wednesday and was sentenced to 30 months in prison after pleading guilty to felony counts of Theft in Office, Receiving Stolen Property and Filing an Incomplete, False or Fraudulent Tax Return. One additional 11-month sentence will be served at the same time as the 30-month term.
After his release, Davis will be under supervision for another two years.
And prison isn’t the only penalty.
Davis was ordered to pay $67,808.67 in restitution to Scioto County and $512.50 to the State Auditor’s Office. He must also forfeit his retirement account, repay the Scioto County Commission for salary he received and pay court costs.
He is also banned from running for or serving in public office and waived his right to appeal.
Davis Asked the Judge to Keep Him Out of Prison
Prison wasn’t mandatory for Davis’s offenses.
His attorney had asked the judge to instead sentence the former commissioner to five years of community control, commonly called probation.
The defense pointed to Davis’s lack of a previous criminal record, his years of public service and his work as a pastor. Numerous supporters also submitted letters on his behalf.
But prosecutors had agreed as part of Davis’s plea agreement to recommend that he receive a prison sentence. The agreement did not specify how long that sentence should be.
The judge ultimately rejected Davis’s request to stay out of prison.
Lori Davis Avoids Prison
Davis’s wife, Lorinda “Lori” Davis, received a very different sentence.
She had pleaded guilty to one felony count of Tampering with Evidence and was sentenced Wednesday to two years of community control, rather than prison. She was also ordered to pay supervision fees and court costs.
That was consistent with the plea agreement, under which prosecutors had agreed to recommend community control for her.
Could Robert Horton Avoid Prison Too?
Perhaps the biggest surprise contained in Davis’s sentencing memorandum concerns Robert Horton.
Horton formerly headed both the Southern Ohio Port Authority and Scioto County’s economic development operation. He and his wife were indicted before the Davises, and the Auditor of State has alleged that Horton received kickbacks connected to construction at the SOAR Business Park.
According to Davis’s sentencing memorandum, Horton has entered into an agreement to cooperate with the State of Ohio in exchange for prosecutors recommending community control.
In simple terms, that means prosecutors are apparently prepared to recommend probation instead of prison for Horton in exchange for his cooperation.
That does not mean Horton has already been sentenced to probation, nor does a prosecutor’s recommendation necessarily bind the judge.
But Davis’s attorney used the apparent agreement as one of his arguments for keeping Davis out of prison.
Davis Attorney Points Finger at Horton
The sentencing memorandum paints Horton as the person who orchestrated the scheme.
Davis’s attorney argued that Horton controlled bidding and construction for Southern Ohio Port Authority projects and used that authority to solicit kickbacks from companies with which he had relationships.
The filing says Horton received at least $292,608.67 through his relationship with O’Steel Building Systems.
The defense argued there would be a significant difference in punishment if Horton, whom the filing portrays as the person who organized the kickback arrangement, receives probation while Davis goes to prison.
Davis’s attorney stressed that argument wasn’t meant to excuse Davis’s conduct. Davis admitted his guilt and acknowledged accepting money paid to his wife’s LLC and failing to properly account for it.
The judge nevertheless sentenced Davis to 30 months behind bars.
Where the Money Came From
The case is a little more complicated than someone simply taking cash directly from the county checking account.
According to the sentencing filing, Scioto County Commissioners had allocated $1.5 million to the Southern Ohio Port Authority, which was intended as a loan and was to be repaid through revenue from tenants at the business park.
Investigators traced payments involving O’Steel Building Systems to companies owned by the wives of Horton and Davis.
The filing says O’Steel made six payments totaling $292,608.67 to RPL Consulting, owned by Lioubov Horton. It also says $67,808.67 was paid to The Finder’s Network, an LLC owned by Lori Davis.
The Auditor of State has described the larger case as a public contracting and kickback scheme involving construction at the SOAR Business Park.
What Happens With Horton Now?
Horton’s case has moved far more slowly than the case against Davis.
Horton was originally indicted in February 2025. A trial scheduled for July 2025 was postponed, and the case has since gone through a series of status conferences without going to trial.
Another telephone status conference in Horton’s case was scheduled for September 16 — the same day Davis was sentenced.
The revelation in Davis’s sentencing memorandum that Horton has apparently agreed to cooperate with prosecutors in exchange for a recommendation of community control could help explain why the case has continued without a trial.
But until Horton’s own agreement and any resulting plea are entered on the court record, important questions remain about what charges Horton may ultimately plead to, what cooperation he has promised and what sentence the judge will actually impose.
What is no longer uncertain is Bryan Davis’s fate.
The former commissioner who once helped oversee Scioto County government has been sentenced to 30 months in prison, substantial financial penalties and a lifetime outside public office.