Yost inaction again evident in handling of fire chief case

Dave Yost's name is on the letterhead for the Ohio Attorney General's office, but his heart — and his head — just aren't in it. In the third year of his second term, Yost's track record reflects a leader who is too timid to take a stand, most times. And when he does take a stand, he's often dead wrong. Yost, AP file photo/Jay LaPrete In 2020, Yost took a case to a grand jury and subsequently a felony trial after a botched investigation by the Ottawa County sheriff's office. The sheriff's office accused a woman of making up a story about being raped by a now former Put-in-Bay police officer. But she was not lying about what she said happened, according to the judge who presided over her trial. Yost, the top law enforcement agent in the state, couldn't see how the investigation was compromised. The attorney general never explained why it was important to go after an alleged rape victim, in the first place, and he's never offered any explanation for why he seems reluctant to do anything about other crimes against women. Two alleged serial rapists from Ottawa County have been reported to Yost and his state Bureau of Criminal Investigation, but there's no indication either have been investigated. A police officer with the Put-in-Bay police was accused of rape, and the allegation was referred to Yost, and again, no comment, no charges, no indication the complaint was ever investigated at all. A woman appeared to be assaulted by a police officer in a body camera video from another officer, and Yost has no comment and, again, there's no indication it was ever investigated. The police chief reports that a person tried to bribe him and some men threatened his life. Again, no charges, no apparent investigation. The latest: The Port Clinton fire chief is accused of sexual misconduct in June and four months later Yost refuses to provide a substantive status update for the investigation the bureau is conducting. A spokesman said the investigation was "active and ongoing" but did not respond to other questions about the case. The public has a right to expect action from the state's attorney general. When highly-paid public employees are put on paid leave for four months, the public has a right to be disappointed. It's disappointing that the most apparent skillset the attorney general has are how to stonewall the public and how to look the other way when he's asked about victims' rights.