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Records Scarce on Sexual Misconduct at Ohio Statehouse
By: Associated Press
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COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – Details on sexual misconduct at the Ohio Statehouse are hard to come by. Accessing public records detailing a pair of sexual misconduct cases in the Legislature last year all but required reporters to already know who did what when and to whom.
There was no centralized repository of information about what actions led to the resignations of two Republicans, Sen. Cliff Hite of Findlay and Rep. Wes Goodman of Cardington.
A 50-state review by The Associated Press finds most state legislative chambers have no publicly available records of any sexual misconduct claims over the past decade.
Certain records on Hite and Goodman were eventually released in Ohio after AP and others determined where to look. Several Ohio offices rejected requests seeking an accounting of legal settlements involving sexual misconduct.