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Thursday, June 26
Scioto County Daily News
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  • Public Safety

    Cocaine-Fueled Dog Attack Shakes Scioto County: The Drug Crisis Hits the Shelter Hard 

    Troubled Bad Youth Kids

    RUNAWAYAS FROM AREA GROUP HOME PROMPT GUN THREATS AND MANHUNT

    police investigation

    Police Investigate Two Disturbing Child Abuse Reports 

    🚨 BACK FROM THE BRINK: Hero Cop Revives Overdose Victim with Narcan  

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    Man Drops Pants in Front of Kids Outside Burger King  

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    🚨 Scioto County 911 Roundup – June 24, 2025 🚨 

    Busted Arrests Portsmouth Scioto County Mugshots

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    🚨 Another ATV Crash Leaves Woman and 4 Kids Injured 🚨

    good cops

    Above and Beyond: Portsmouth Police Step In to Help the Vulnerable 

    “I Don’t Want to Go Home”: Teen Walks into Jail Seeking Help in Custody Dispute 

    🚨 Burglars in the Floor? Deputies Called to Camper Crawlspace Conspiracy 🚨 

    Summer Danger: Drowning Call Highlights Importance of Water Safety for Children 

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    Naked Woman Arrested in Tracy Park 

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    Portsmouth Fire Department

    Midnight Screams at Spartan Stadium: Man Found Trapped 

    Fists and Flames: Assault Turns Into Arson at Wayne Hills Apartment 

    Child Killed

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    🔥 Lobby Meltdown: Man Throws F-Bomb Fit Waiting for Jailbird Boyfriend 🔥

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    127 Calls Keep Scioto County Emergency Responders on Their Toes 

  • Lawrence County
  • Politics

    Cathy Coleman Still Fighting: Family Shuts Down Hospice Rumors, Says Recovery Still Underway

    County May Tap Opioid Settlement Funds to Finish MARCS Tower Project 

    Cathy Coleman

    ‘Small Steps, Big Faith’: Commissioner Cathy Coleman Edges Closer to Recovery 

    ‘Praise God!’: Commissioner Cathy Coleman Shows Remarkable Progress After Harrowing Weeks

    Cathy Coleman

    Cautious Hope and Harsh Realities: New Details Emerge on Commissioner Cathy Coleman’s Condition 

    Scioto County Commissioners Cancel This Week’s Meeting 

    Robert Horton

    Sudden Twist: Horton Court Dates Scrapped Ahead of Trial 

    ‘A Sign of Hope’: Commissioner Cathy Coleman Shows Small Improvements Amid Ongoing Critical Condition 

    Recorder Gary Jenkins

    Scioto County Recorder Gary Jenkins Unveils New Office Website 

    Staggering 236 Recovery Houses in Area — and the Fight for Reform Faces Pushback 

    Cathy Coleman

    Community Urged to Pray For Cathy Coleman as Family Faces Devastating Update 

    Scottie Powell

    Commissioner Scottie Powell on Trans Sanctuary Resolution: “Symbolic, Not Substantive” 

    Cathy Coleman

    Update from the Scioto County Commissioners on Commissioner Cathy Coleman 

    What Did Portsmouth’s LGBTQ+ Sanctuary Resolution Really Say? 

    Portsmouth Rehab

    Portsmouth Rejects LGBTQ+ Sanctuary City Status in Heated Council Vote 

    Cathy Coleman

    It’s a Miracle! – Scioto County Rallies Around Commissioner Cathy Coleman After Medical Crisis Turnaround 

    Scioto County Rallies in Prayer for Commissioner Cathy Coleman After Tragic Crash 

    Risky Business? City Wants to Sell $4.5 Million in Bonds

    Portsmouth LGBT Sanctuary City Proposal Scrapped – New Resolution Coming

    Portsmouth Council Takes First Step Toward Homelessness Task Force 

  • Feel Good

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    Portsmouth Flood Wall Stars

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  • Obituaries
    Marsha Faye Gammon

    Marsha Faye Gammon, 72 of Wheelersburg

    Janet Sue Perkins

    Janet Sue Perkins, 79 of Ashland

    Barbara Williams

    Nancy L. Pistole, 85 of West Portsmouth

    Charles Lloyd Smith

    Charles Lloyd Smith, 84, of Portsmouth

    Maxine Ballard

    Maxine Ballard, 84, of South Point

    David Paul Kidder

    David Paul Kidder, 57 of West Portsmouth

    Carolyn Sue Reeder,

    Carolyn Sue Reeder, 75 of Portsmouth

    Dorothy Jane Pistole

    Dorothy Jane Pistole, 64 of Portsmouth

    Barbara Williams

    Mary Meretia Robertson Wolfe, 87, of Londonderry, OH

    Patricia Louise Coburn

    Patricia Louise Coburn 99 of Portsmouth

    Nora Ellen Easter

    Nora Ellen Easter, 97 of Friendship

     Deborah Sue ‘Susie’ Dingus

     Deborah Sue ‘Susie’ Dingus, 74 of Portsmouth

    Mary Ada McClaskey

    Mary Ada McClaskey, 78 of Port Saint Lucie

    Freddie L Hodge

    Freddie L Hodge, 75 of Portsmouth

    Willa Mae Parker

     Willa Mae Parker Ivory, 91 of Portsmouth

    Cynthia Darby Royster

    Cynthia Darby Royster, 70, of Wheelersburg

    William McGinnis

    Noah Hall, 54 of Lucasville

    James Arthur Williams

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    Lawton Triplett Jeanette

    Lawton Triplett 94 & Jeannette Triplett, 87

    Pauline Rupert

    Pauline Rupert, 81 of Portsmouth,

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“It’s a Witch Hunt” – Davis Speaks Out on Horton Investigation 

Cyn Mackley by Cyn Mackley
9 months ago
in Politics
Bryan Davis
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“Not everything that comes out of a grand jury is factual. In my personal opinion, it’s a witch hunt.”  Scioto County Commissioner Bryan Davis says there are multiple reasons that Robert Horton still has his position with SOPA despite a state investigation.  

Even though Robert Horton is currently suspended with pay from his job as Scioto County’s Economic Development Director while the State Auditor investigates criminal allegations, he’s still the Director of the Southern Ohio Port Authority. That has a lot of people asking why he’s not suspended from that very important position as well.  

Scioto County Commissioners maintain there’s not much they can do because the Port Authority is a separate entity from the county.  However, WNXT’s Bill Shope put the commissioners on the hot seat during Thursday’s meeting by pointing out that the two agencies have the same phone number and contact email address. 

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Commissioner Bryan Davis said, “Economic development utilizes multiple tools in order to accomplish a job.” Davis likened it to a toolbox where you have multiple types of screwdrivers in your toolbox. He said there was money available for development that you could only get from certain agencies like Jobs Ohio and JEDISO. He said the Southern Ohio Port Authority (SOPA) was another tool in that toolbox. “Port authorities have the ability to exercise functions other agencies cannot.”  He said that port authorities can do things like buy building materials tax-free.  “So if you have a private entity and the port authority is the construction manager, then they can provide the ability for a company to build tax-free. That’s what happened with PureCycle. It’s a tool.” 

(See our reporting on Purecycle here: Scioto County Residents Concerned: Experts Have Doubts About PureCycle)

Davis said that when commissioners set up the board seven years ago, they changed the way things worked. “They are definitely symbiotic beings. They work in the same space. They complement each other. About 90% of what economic development is doing right now is SOPA-related.  I can understand why there would be confusion.” 

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When asked if Horton’s suspension carried any real weight due to the fact he was continuing to head  SOPA, Davis replied. “What everyone needs to understand, the Board of Scioto County Commissioners cannot interfere with the workings of the Southern Ohio Port Authority. They are a separate board governed by its members.”   

Davis said that the commission is only involved in appointing members to SOPA. That is the end of our jurisdiction. We can remove members for malfeasance but that has not been considered.  You have an employee who has been put on a leave of absence. To my knowledge, he has not been indicted. Not everything that comes out of a grand jury is factual. A lot of times there are things that have been leaked.” 

He said that the amount of information that had been leaked about the investigation was egregious and that, in his opinion, “It’s a witch hunt. He’s been exposed to egregious acts by people who would love to destroy economic development in Scioto County.  We’re talking about a man who has brought millions and millions of dollars to the county and throwing that way. I, for one, do not want to see the work of the county suspended in any way.”  

Davis called the investigation a distraction from important economic development work. He said the commissioners hadn’t heard anything about the investigation in weeks.  He said the Attorney General’s Officer appeared to have pulled out of the investigation. “It’s my understanding the State Auditor’s Office doesn’t know where they went. They apparently called no joy and walked away. There’s a lot of things I could say that I probably shouldn’t. say. My concern is our economic development efforts are being severely hampered.” 

Get caught up on our previous reporting on this crucial issue.

County Commissioners “Fully Cooperating” with Investigators After Search Warrants Served 

Commissioners Skip Meeting, Investigation Continues 

Commissioners Don’t Know What Search Warrants Are About Either 

Commissioners Grapple With “Clearly Criminal” Economic Development Investigations 

“We’re Not Lawyers” – Commissioners Respond to Shocking Horton Revelations 

 

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