ATHENS, Ohio — A member of Athens City Council is facing a first-degree misdemeanor charge after Athens police arrested him earlier this month in connection with an alleged assault at the Ohio University Inn, the Athens County Independent reported Wednesday, Oct. 28.
Athens police arrested John Staser, a Democrat who represents the city’s 2nd Ward, on Saturday, Oct. 3, at about 6:30 p.m., according to a police report the Independent obtained through a public records request. The police complaint alleges Staser approached a man and “pushed him, verbally confronted him and struck him multiple times,” the Independent reported. Police said in an incident report that the man was from West Virginia, according to the Independent.
Staser entered a not guilty plea on Thursday, Oct. 8, and the case is set for a pre-trial hearing on Tuesday, Nov. 10, the Independent reported. He is represented by attorney Susan L. Gwinn, who requested a jury trial, according to the Independent. Gwinn’s office did not respond to the Independent’s Oct. 26 request for comment, and Staser did not respond to the Independent’s Oct. 27 email request for comment before publication, the Independent reported.
City Law Director Lisa Eliason told the Independent on Monday, Oct. 26, that Staser’s status as a council member is currently unaffected by his arrest. Eliason requested a special prosecutor for the case, and the court appointed attorney Micah Tippie, the Independent reported.
“I think it would have an appearance of impropriety or conflict if we [the city] had prosecuted the case,” Eliason told the Independent in a phone interview. Athens County Municipal Court Judge Todd L. Grace recused himself from the case because of an unspecified conflict of interest and was replaced by Judge Dean Wilson, who retired from Perry County Municipal Court, the Independent reported.
Staser was absent from Monday night’s council meeting. Council President Micah McCarey told the Independent that Staser had previously planned to miss the meeting for a conference, and that he had not seen violent or aggressive behavior by Staser before. Staser is also a professor at Ohio University’s Russ College of Engineering and Technology, and OU senior director of communications Dan Pittman told the Independent by email that the university “does not comment on personnel matters.” The investigation is ongoing, the Independent reported.
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