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Court Considers Debate Over Inmate’s Case File
By: Associated Press
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The Ohio Supreme Court has heard arguments in a lawsuit against Columbus police seeking the complete files of a long-closed criminal case.
At issue is what public records attorneys call a troubling trend of police departments refusing to release files until all chance of appeals are exhausted, usually because the defendant is dead.
The 2014 lawsuit filed on behalf of Ohio Innocence Project attorney Donald Caster seeks the full record in the case of a Columbus man sentenced to 38 years in prison for killing a woman in 2005.
The court heard from both sides Wednesday.
The Innocence Project wants the files to review the argument by defendant Adam Saleh that he is innocent.
Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O’Brien says the evidence against Saleh was overwhelming.