Arraignments set for VW County officials

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

Three Van Wert County officials will be arraigned Wednesday morning on indictments handed down by the November session of the County Grand Jury.

County Auditor Philip Baxter and Deputy Auditors Julienne Rolsten and Juliann Zinn are scheduled to appear in Van Wert County Common Pleas Court at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday to enter pleas to charges included in the indictments.

The indictments stem from an investigation conducted by Henry County Prosecutor Gwen Howe-Gebers, who is acting as a special prosecutor for Van Wert County, in conjunction with the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation.

The officials were served with the following criminal indictments related to the investigation this past Friday:

Baxter was served with one count each of breaking and entering, a felony of the fifth degree; intimidation, a misdemeanor of the first degree; and unauthorized use of property, a felony of the fifth degree.

Rolsten has been indicted on one count each of breaking and entering, a felony of the fifth degree; tampering with records, a felony of the third degree; and unauthorized use of property, computer, cable, or telecommunications property, a felony of the fifth degree.

Zinn was indicted on one count of breaking and entering, a felony of the fifth degree.

According to the indictments, the breaking and entering indictments against all three officials stem from an incident that occurred on May 30 of this year. That’s allegedly when a break-in occurred in the County Treasurer’s Office on the second floor of the Courthouse.

The intimidation indictment against Baxter states that, from August 1-September 30, he “knowingly attempted to intimidate or hinder the victim of a crime or delinquent act from filing charges… .”

Rolsten’s and Baxter’s unauthorized use of property indictments stem from attempts to gain access to computers or other devices or systems, while Rolsten was also charged with possible computer hacking.

Rolsten’s tampering with records indictment charges that, from March 1 to April 30, she attempted to “falsify, destroy, remove, conceal, alter, deface, or mutilate any writing, computer software, data, or record” … or “utter any writing or record, knowing it had been tampered with”.

Howe-Gebers noted Tuesday afternoon that more information may be released following Wednesday’s arraignment hearings.

Updated Tuesday, November 12, at 3:30 p.m.