Pike County Sheriff Charles Reader is under fire after he contacted a witness. Reader is in violation of his no-contact order according to court records filed by the special prosecutor appointed in the case. The Pike County Sheriff’s office is in Waverly, Ohio. In September 2019 The Ohio Supreme Court formally suspended Reader from his sheriff’s position.
In June 2019 Reader was indicted on 16 charges after he was accused of stealing money from drug busts to support his gambling addiction. Reader kept cash from cases in a safe that only he had access to.
Reader was told in court not to have any contact with those on the witness list. According to court records, Reader violated that order on July 15th by texting a witness [ABC News](https://abc6onyourside.com/news/local/suspended-pike-county-sheriff-appears-in-court-for-pre-trial-hearing) reports.
Reader also took money from other deputies and owed money to local business owners.
Ohio State Auditor Keith Faber announced the grand jury presented Reader with seven charges of conflict of interest, four charges of theft in office, two charges of thefts, one charge each of tampering with evidence, tampering with records and securing writing by description.
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost issued the following statement regarding the indictment of Reader:
> “This will have no impact on the Wagner capital murder cases, as Sheriff Reader was not the primary witness for any issue of fact or law. Ohio sheriffs act with integrity and honor, and this rare occurrence does not reflect the excellent work they do daily throughout their counties.”
