Scioto County Commissioner Scottie Powell has broken his silence following the indictment of County Economic Development Director Robert Horton on 15 felony charges, including theft in office, aggravated theft, money laundering, bribery, and tampering with public records. Horton’s wife, Lioubov Horton, was also indicted on 12 charges, including telecommunications fraud and tampering with evidence.
“Today is a dark day for our county,” Powell said in a statement. “These indictments bring to light an investigation that has hung over this county for far too long.”
Powell revealed that concerns about potential conflicts of interest within the county’s economic development office and the Southern Ohio Port Authority first came to his attention exactly two years ago. He said he immediately reported the concerns to the authorities and has been cooperating with investigators ever since.
“Over the past two years, I have fully cooperated with the authorities, first from the Attorney General’s Office and more recently from the Auditor of State’s Office,” Powell said. “I have been interviewed multiple times and provided what information I had on the matter.”
Powell was the only commissioner to vote against reinstating Horton to his county position while he was under investigation. He thanked Auditor of State Keith Faber and his team for their work on the case, saying that while the indictment is disheartening, it provides an opportunity for the county to move forward.
“My opinion has always been that if someone has taken advantage of their public position to enrich themselves, their families, or business partners, they should be held to the highest level of accountability,” Powell said. “And if the allegations proved meritless, then we needed to know so we could move on. Today, we received part of our answer.”
Powell added that he expects the Board of County Commissioners will hold a special session soon to discuss the next steps with their legal counsel.