Jurors hear final arguments before deliberations in podcaster's trial

SANDUSKY — Jurors were sent to deliberate on felony charges for a local podcaster Friday afternoon but did not reach a verdict by the end of the day. Friday's portion of the trial for Ashli Ford, 41, of Milan — which deals with allegations that she forged a name on federal loan documents — was riddled with setbacks. Ford faces 12 felony charges, including tampering with records, forgery, aggravated theft and identity fraud in the Erie County Common Pleas Court with Judge Beverly McGookey presiding over the case. The case involves allegations that Ford signed a co-signer's name — that of a male victim who previously testified this week — on federal loan documents without his consent and that she had falsely stated a familial relationship in the documents. Ford then allegedly used the funds secured in the loan to dismiss a home foreclosure action and modify the loan. With Friday's hearing ending without a verdict, jurors will not return until Tuesday morning due to the federal Memorial Day holiday on Monday. Attorneys give closing arguments Before Erie County prosecutor Kevin Baxter went up to present his closing arguments, McGookey addressed the court about two jurors who were ultimately removed from the courtroom and replaced with two alternate jurors. Alternates act as backups for any jurors who cannot stay the full length of trial and also sit in the courtroom and listen to testimony. One juror was reportedly sleeping during testimony while the other had a prior obligation to attend and advised the court in advance. Baxter addressed the jurors and began his closing argument by stating that there is a "voluminous amount" of evidence in this case to prove that Ford committed beyond a reasonable doubt the crimes listed in her 12-count indictment. "Every time she is caught in something, she blames it on someone else," Baxter said. During his closing statement, Baxter also pointed to recorded phone calls previously played during the trial — calls from Ford to a mortgage lender — in which she identified herself in the call using the victim's name and personal information rather than her own. "Folks, we have a smoking gun," Baxter said. Defense attorney Peter Pattakos used his closing argument to address jurors about what he deemed a "farce of a trial." He continued with the defense's throughline through much of the trial — that Ford is being "railroaded" by the prosecution in this case. Pattakos also asked jurors to judge Ford without bias and put any negative personal feelings they might have for her aside. "That's all we would ask," he said. "It's not illegal to be a jerk. It's not illegal to be an a-hole."