Delays dominate Kraus case

PORT CLINTON — The case against former State Rep. Steve Kraus is in a holding pattern.Visiting Judge Patricia Cosgrove, assigned by the Ohio Supreme Court after former visiting Judge Dale Crawford was removed, hasn't made a decision on Kraus' year-old request for a new trial.Accused of stealing items from a Danbury Township home, Kraus denies any wrongdoing and contends his prosecution was politically motivated. He was elected to the 89th House District in November 2014 and removed in July 2015 following a felony theft trial."Justice delayed is justice denied," Kraus said. "Mulligan's fingerprints are all over this."Kraus contends former Ottawa County prosecutor Mark Mulligan engaged prosecutorial misconduct by "shopping" his case to outside prosecutors in 2014. He also called into question Mulligan's connection to his political opponent in the statehouse race, Chris Redfern.Mulligan asked for a special prosecutor Oct. 2, 2014, citing a conflict of interest because of his relationship to Redfern, according to court records.Kraus previously claimed Mulligan reached out to several prosecutors to take his case, including former Sandusky County prosecutor Tom Stierwalt, former colleague Melissa Bergman, and, eventually, Tim Braun, the current Sandusky County prosecutor.Kraus claimed Mulligan "shopped" for a prosecutor to indict him, citing email records that appear to back him up."This makes me feel vindicated," Kraus previously told the Register. "This was a political witch hunt from the beginning. It was an October surprise."For now, Kraus and his attorney, Geoffrey Oglesby, await Judge Cosgrove's decision on whether Kraus' case warrants a new trial. Oglesby filed a motion for a new trial in January 2017.It's not clear why an answer to that motion has taken this long.Former special prosecutor Tim Braun, for reasons unknown, stepped away from the case at some point after the July 2015 trial. Sometime later, former visiting Judge Dale Crawford was removed, due to his friendship with Redfern, all while the motion gathered dust.Since then, Cosgrove took over and told Kraus' camp she was reviewing case-related information."Cosgrove indicated that she would make a decision by the end of December," Kraus said. "Obviously, that's come and gone."Reach news editor Patrick Pfanner at pfanner@sanduskyregister.com, follow him on Twitter @PatPfanner and follow the Register at Facebook.com/SanduskyRegisterSteve Kraus talks to Register managing editor Matt Westerhold during a segment of Between the Lines on Thursday, April 27, 2017.