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Scioto County Daily News
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  • Public Safety
    jail

    Mom Calls 911 on Teen — Ends Up in Handcuffs Herself 

    A Parent Reports Possible Child Abuse Years Later, Police Say It’s Never Too Late to Speak Up 

    Woman in Crisis Tries to Jump From Moving Ambulance, Saved by First Responders 

    Ohio House Bill 247

    Loose Dog Bites Man — Leads to Arrest in Wheelersburg 

    Police Turn to Facebook to Nab Rural King Thieves 

    Safeguard Ohio

    See Something, Send Something: Ohio Wants You—and AI—to Help Spy on Suspicious Activity 

    Scioto County Grand Jury Indictments

    28 New Scioto County Grand Jury Indictments

    Busted Arrests Portsmouth Scioto County Mugshots

    Busted! 09/12/25 New Arrests in Portsmouth, Ohio – Scioto County Mugshots

    Body Found in Vehicle Near King’s Daughters Medical Center 

    Mother Demands Answers After Daycare Allegedly Covers Up Incident 

    SWAT Called to Portsmouth Garage Standoff — Two Arrested After Barricading Themselves 

    Scioto County Court Coverage 08

    Indictments Handed Down After 12-Hour Jail Riot That Drew Multi-Agency Response 

    Franklin Furnace murder

    3 Charged With Murder After Franklin Furnace Robbery  

    An aerial view shows a father and son sitting on a brown leather couch, reading the Bible. The father has an arm around his son.

    6 Creative Ways To Teach Kids About the Bible at Home

    Busted Arrests Portsmouth Scioto County Mugshots

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    What would you do

    Deputies Face Difficult Case Involving Disabled Adult and Inappropriate Online Behavior

    Jesse Stires

    Portsmouth Police Arrest Man Wanted on Child Pornography Charges 

    Feel Good News

    Deputies Defuse Tense Family Crisis, Help Get Man to Safety

    Escapee Indicted After Cutting Fence, Stealing Car in Scioto County Crime Spree 

    Man Shot on Mound Street—Police Launch Overnight Investigation

  • Lawrence County
  • Politics
    Scottie Powell

    Commissioner Powell Responds to Conflict of Interest Questions 

    FOP Endorses Malone, Neff in Portsmouth City Election 

    Bryan Davis

    Where’s Bryan Davis? GOP Says Step Down — Court Says Suspended

    SCDN File Photo

    Where’s Bryan Davis? After Two Missed Meetings, GOP Says It’s Time to Step Down 

    This bench is a different bench located near Jim Dandy's

    Exclusive: The Bench Is Back — But the Political Drama Isn’t Over 

    crisis question

    Where’s Bryan Davis? Commissioners, Citizens Ask the Same Question 

    Scioto County Commissioner Bryan Davis

    Bryan Davis Arraignment Set, New Judge Assigned 

    Bryan Davis

    Why Commissioner Davis Staying in Office Raises Big Problems 

    Scottie Powell

    Powell Calls on Commissioner Davis to Resign 

    Scioto County Bryan Davis Scandal

    🗓 Timeline of a Scandal: How Scioto County’s Economic Development Crisis Unfolded 

    Bryan Davis

    Commissioner Bryan Davis and Wife Indicted in Scioto Scandal 

    Joey Sandlin

    Joey Sandlin Announces Inauguration Ceremony  

    Erie Canal Lock 50

    After Nearly a Decade of Talk, Scioto County Moves Closer to Restoring Historic Lock 50 

    Portsmouth City Council 2023

    Portsmouth City Council Considers More Cash for Lawsuit Defense 

    West Virginia SNAP

    🚨No More Free Pop? West Virginia Bans Soda from SNAP—Should Ohio Be Next?🚨 

    We Don’t Do Roads!: Scioto Commissioners Clarify Who’s Really in Charge of Road Repairs 

    “I’m Not Here to Replace Cathy”: New Commissioner Merit Smith Says He’ll Lead with Life Experience 

    Merit Smith

    Merit Smith Chosen to Fill Late Commissioner Cathy Coleman’s Seat 

    Scottie Powell

    “Run on Vision, Not Attacks”: Powell Offers Advice to Candidates Vying for Cathy Coleman’s Seat 

    🌿 Bamboo Gets Fast-Tracked at City Hall — But the Homeless Crisis? Still Stuck in Neutral 

  • Feel Good
    A man sitting in a vehicle is handing over an ID card to a female police officer standing by his window.

    Tips for Staying Calm During Police Encounters

    Cyn Mackley

    Cyn Mackley Channels Haunted Appalachia

    A group of friends stand around a table, smiling, laughing, and drinking. There are plates of food on the table.

    Creative Ways To Host Outdoor Events This Summer

    A family of two parents and a young boy and girl are playing laser tag with vests and laser blasters in an arena.

    What Activities To Offer at a Family Fun Center

    Shawnee State University SSU

    Shawnee State University Joins New Athletic Conference, Adds Football to Lineup 

    BREAKING: Commissioners Make Shocking Decision—Halloween to Remain on Halloween 

    Escape to the Hills: A Summer Reading List Set in Appalachia 

    Scioto County Champs: Lady Trojans and Word Wizards Bring Home the Gold 

    “I Held Those Keys Tight” — One Man’s Harrowing Journey from Addiction to Hope 

    Three girls in quinceañera dresses stand beside one another. The one in middle has a gold dress while the other two wear pink.

    Tips for Selecting the Color of a Quinceañera Dress

    The Day the Streak Ended: Lakers’ 1987 Record Broken

    An angler standing at the edge of a lake just after sunset with three fishing rods resting on the ground next to him.

    Night Fishing: Who Is It for and How Do You Start?

    good cops

    Cops Rescue Lost Man 

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    Kid Misses Bus, Deputy to the Rescue 

    A group of people stands outside with their arms in the air. They hold their hands together, making a pyramid shape.

    Hidden Gems: Community Strategies for Mental Wellness

    good cops

    Man Says He’s Trapped in Armory 

    Good Samaritan 2

    Good Neighbor and Officer to the Rescue 

    Portsmouth Flood Wall Stars

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    Training Tips To Help Your Dog Get Used to Their Wheelchair

    U.S. housing market

    Tips for Making Your New House Feel Like a Home

  • Obituaries
     Ronald Lee Clay

     Ronald Lee Clay, 69 of Wheelersburg

    Norma Jean Walls

    Norma Jean Walls, 90 of Waverly

    Dwight Lee Shoemaker

    Dwight Lee Shoemaker, 83 of Portsmouth

    Matthew Carson

    Matthew Carson Little, 35 of Portsmouth

    Barbara Jeanette Bretz

    Barbara Jeanette Bretz, 76 of South Shore

    Walter Skaggs

    Walter Skaggs, 83 Wheelersburg

    Timothy E. Borders

    Timothy E. Borders, 66 of Portsmouth

    Harry W. Ketter, 89 of West Portsmouth,

    Edgar Adams, 89 of Rarden

    Donald Gilliam

    Donald Lee “Sock” Gilliam, 71, of South Shore

    Barbara Lyons

    Barbara A. (Ray) Lyons, 80, of South Shore

    Patricia A. Tarr Wheeler

    Patricia A. Tarr Wheeler, 80 of Rubyville

    Pamela Sue Mowery

    Pamela Sue Mowery, 74 of Sciotoville

    Bryan Wesley Copas

    Bryan Wesley Copas age 64 of McDermott,

    James “Duncan” Conquergood

    James “Duncan” Conquergood 73 of Toronto, York Co., Ontario

    Rocky Lynn Jordan

    Rocky Lynn Jordan, 59 of Lucasville

    Barbara Ann Hobbs-Stevens

    Barbara Ann Hobbs-Stevens, age 81 of Lucasville

    Timothy E. Borders

    Timothy E. Borders, 66 of Portsmouth

    Tim L. Marion 64 of Portsmouth

    Billie Hornikel

    Billie Hornikel, 74 of Portsmouth

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

Cyn Mackley by Cyn Mackley
11 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.” 

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.”  

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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 

 

Tags: County CommissionersFeaturedNewsletterScioto County
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