Commissioners request county prosecutor to refer information regarding transfer of county vehicle

MEDINA — The Medina County Commissioners have requested that the Medina County Prosecutor's Office refer information to the Office of the Ohio Attorney General regarding Medina County Treasurer John Burke selling a county vehicle that eventually was sold to his son. According to Commissioner Steve Hambley, the commissioners met with Medina County Prosecutor Forrest Thompson on Tuesday to go over the information provided regarding this transfer Burke made. A news release from the commissioner's office said Burke delivered a vehicle previously used by his office to an automotive dealer, which then sold the vehicle to Burke's son. Under current law and county policy, if someone is getting rid of a vehicle owned by the board of commissioners, it needs to be done through an auction unless it's sold or donated to another political subdivision. If auctioned, it would have been awarded to the highest bidder. Hambley said that Burke did not deliver it to a dealership that was designated to conduct auctions and it was done without notifying the commissioners. After speaking with Thompson, the commissioners requested the referral so that the Ohio attorney general can conduct an independent investigation regarding the situation. Because Burke is an elected official, the investigation must be independent to avoid a possible conflict of interest. "If it was any other county employee, the prosecutor would be handling this," Hambley said. "But the county prosecutor represents also the county treasurer." As the commissioners are the owners of any county-owned public property, the news release states that the protection of the county procedures and policies for the property is important. "I believe personally that there was a violation of trust of our employees and a violation of trust of the commissioners," Hambley said. "The investigation will demonstrate whether there was a violation of any laws." Contact reporter Sara Crawford at (330) 721-4063 or scrawford@medina-gazette.com.