Richard Mick gets third judge

SANDUSKY — Erie County is 0-2 with the Richard Mick case.And round 3, featuring a third trial and a third judge, might be coming soon. The Ohio Supreme Court appointed retired Stark County Judge John Haas to take over the case. Mick, 58, who is the former pastor at Lighthouse Baptist Church, is accused of sex crimes involving children.According to nonprofit political encyclopedia Ballotpedia.org, Haas served as a judge in Stark County's common pleas court from 1989 until his retirement in April 2019. He received his undergraduate degree from Miami University and his law doctorate from Ohio State.Case historyThere are no new court dates scheduled for Mick's case, according to his docket. But, if and when the case goes to trial, it would be the third time Mick goes before a jury on the same charges.Mick's first trial, on accusations of child molestation within his congregation, occurred in 2016 under Erie County common pleas court Judge Roger Binette.Mick's attorney, K. Ronald Bailey, refused to participate during the trial. He cited grievances with decisions made by Binette as the reason for his actions.Despite that, the trial went ahead, the jury convicted Mick, and Binette sentenced Mick to life in prison.Bailey was held in contempt — and later, became the target of sanctions from a state law board — and Mick appealed the conviction citing ineffective representation from Bailey. A state appeals court sided with Mick and ordered he be given a new trial.The second trial took place earlier this year, starting on July 22, in the Erie County common pleas court of Judge Tygh Tone. After all three alleged victims testified, the trial ended prematurely on July 25 when defense attorney Meredith O'Brien pointed out that the defense didn't receive a Sandusky police report related to the case prior to trial.Defense and prosecuting attorneys argued before Tone, but the judge decided that the incident violated Mick's right to a fair trial and declared a mistrial. Tone later recused himself from any future case proceedings and asked the state's supreme court to appoint a new judge.Visit our Erie County Common Pleas court hub for more storiesReach reporter Brandon Addeo at brandonaddeo@sanduskyregister.com, follow him on Twitter @BrandonAddeo and follow the Register at Facebook.com/SanduskyRegisterRICHARD C MICKA retired Stark County judge was appointed to preside over the Richard Mick case in Erie County common pleas court.