TOLEDO, Ohio — The former Sheriff of Pike County who was sent to prison on corruption charges will be released this month from prison, several months earlier than expected.
Convicted felon Charles S. Reader has spent the last two years behind bars at the Toledo Correctional Facility in Lucas County. Reader was sentenced to 3.5 years in lockup after taking a plea deal related to theft and corruption charges in 2021 while he was Sheriff in the small county. Reader pleaded guilty to two counts of theft in office, two counts of tampering with evidence, and one count of conflict of interest.
The former Sheriff shot to nationwide fame in 2016 when he became the face as the lead investigator in Ohio’s worst homicide, the Rhoden massacre, where eight members of one family was killed by another family — the Wagner family.
Reader was granted an early release by the Ohio Parole Board last year and will have to spend six months in a half-way house or treatment center before he can be released to the general public. His first day outside from behind prison walls will be May 19.
The felony charges to which Reader pled guilty all relate to evidence bags containing seized currency which were in Reader’s possession. The Conflict of Interest charge relates to Reader’s purchase of a Nissan Versa at the Pike County Sheriff’s auction of seized vehicles. Reader had a straw buyer purchase the vehicle for $2,000. Several months after the purchase Reader sold it for $5,500, prosecutors said.
State Auditor Keith Faber’s office led the investigation.
“Charlie Reader was entrusted to enforce the law in his community and literally gambled it away,” said Auditor Faber. “His choices do not diminish the dedication of the thousands of law enforcement across Ohio that willingly sacrifice, serve, and protect us every day- these men and women deserve our utmost respect. I commend the quality and committed investigators and prosecutors who unearthed his misconduct and ultimately brought him to justice.”
In 2018, Reader’s Sheriff’s office was raided by state officials after an anonymous complaint said that he was stealing drug money to fuel a gambling habit. Additional investigations revealed allegations that Reader borrowed money from deputies, rigged auctions for seized vehicles, and tampered with evidence by trying to replace the stolen money he used.