WAVERLY, Ohio — The elected Auditor of Pike County is under a criminal investigation for allegations of misusing county tax dollars.
Kayla N. Slusher, 34, had court proceedings filed against her last week. The Guardian has obtained public records from the Pike County Court of Common Pleas that outline the probe.
In the records, county prosecutor, Rob Junk, filed a motion to have a special prosecutor appointed to “serve in the investigation and/or prosecution of a case involving Pike County Auditor, Kayla N. Slusher.” County Judge Randy Deering approved the request and, at the request of Junk, appointed Robert Smith from the state’s Auditor’s office. Smith’s name may sound familiar; he’s the same prosecutor who investigated and prosecuted former Pike County Sheriff Charlie Reader for theft-in-office. Reader was sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison last month.
Smith is part of an elite team inside the state Auditor’s “Special Investigations Unit.” The unit is tasked with investigating misuse of tax dollars by public officials.
Smith is assistant chief legal counsel to Auditor Keith Faber and is one of two lawyers on the team. Smith is frequently called upon to serve as special prosecutor in cases investigated by the special team, according to his state biography.
A spokeswoman for Faber’s office would not confirm what allegations Slusher is facing.
“It is our policy not to discuss ongoing work until it is completed and released by our office,” said state spokeswoman Allie Dumski. Dumski supplied the Guardian with a public record that outlines a complaint against Slusher that was filed with the state, however.
The complaint says it was filed with the state on April 1 and paperwork about the report only says, “Complaint alleges that the Pike County Auditor was not properly spending county funds.” The paperwork did not go into detail about how the funds were allegedly being misused and the status of the case is marked “under review.”
In Reader’s investigation, subpoenas were issued seeking information, which outlined a blueprint for the public as to what he was accused of doing before charges were filed. When the Guardian stopped by Slusher’s office on Monday morning to ask if a subpoena had been issued to her office for the investigation into her and to request a copy of the public record, office staff said that no such document had been served upon their office.
Numerous calls and messages left with Slusher seeking comment for this story were not returned.
Slusher was elected in November 2019.