Corbin named in lawsuit

NORWALK — The family of Amanda Dean, a woman allegedly murdered in 2017 by her boyfriend, is suing Huron County and Sheriff Todd Corbin for refusing to investigate her disappearance for more than five years, violating her rights and recklessly inflicting emotional distress. Corbin "The lawsuit seeks to hold members of the sheriff's office accountable for injuries that they have caused," a news release from attorney Michael Hunter, with the Columbus firm of Flannery, Georgalis states. "The sheriff violated the Dean family's right to equal protection under the law under both the U.S. and Ohio constitutions because his office failed to and refused to investigate the disappearance and murder of Amanda Dean. "The lawsuit also holds individual members of the sheriff's office accountable for causing emotional distress from years of fraudulent misrepresentations made by Sheriff Corbin and his office to the family and the media in maintaining that Amanda was safe and residing in a shelter while her murderer, Frederick Reer, lived freely in the community." The lawsuit was filed on Monday. Read about another investigation the sheriff's office botched: What will Sitterly do? Corbin and his investigators failed their duty, according to Hunter. "Rather than protecting and serving the citizens of Huron County, members of the sheriff's office spent years ignoring or disparaging the Dean family and misleading the family and the public to cover up their mishandling of the investigation into the assault and eventual murder of Amanda Dean," he said. Dean Provided photo Dean, 36, was reported missing by her mother, Caroline Tokar, and her sister, Shannon Dean, on July 11, 2017. The following day, Corbin announced that he located Amanda and called off a search for her, saying he talked with a director from a women's shelter who told him she was alive and safe, but didn't want to talk with her family. He didn't document the name of the person who told him that, when he spoke to that person, or exactly what that person told him, according to records from the sheriff's office. Dean had four young sons and her mother, Tokar, of Sandusky, was sure what Corbin said was never true. She and Shannon told the sheriff they feared Amanda's boyfriend killed her, as he had threatened to do, and they asked Corbin to search the property on Wells Road in Collins where she lived with him. Corbin refused, and never again searched for Dean or investigated her disappearance. In late 2022, Tokar sent Corbin a demand that he show "proof of life" for Amanda or restart the investigation. Pressure mounted after the Register began reporting about the family's growing frustration with Corbin, who agreed to ask the state to take over the investigation. A little more than a year later — in February 2024 — the boyfriend, Fred Reer, was arrested and charged with killing Amanda. He's scheduled to go on trial next year. "The Dean family looks forward to their day in court to hold the responsible members of the sheriff's office accountable for their misconduct," Hunter wrote. Corbin, his cousin, Deputy Shannon Lyons, a detective at the time, and deputies Joshua Kaufman and Coty Bravo are named as defendants in the lawsuit. Three other individuals were listed as defendants, identified as John or Jane Doe 1, 2 and 3. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Amanda's four sons, her mother and her two sisters. Corbin did not respond to a request for comment. Huron County prosecutor James Sitterly also did not respond to a request for comment. * Get more of this story at sanduskyregister.com on Tuesday and in the Wednesday print edition of the Register.