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Monday 8am - 4:30pm Tuesday 8am - 4:30pm Wednesday 8am - 4:30pm Thursday 8am - 4:30pm Friday 8am - 4:30pm

Geauga County Prosecutor's Office

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Chardon, OH
Geauga County Prosecutor's Office

Welcome to the Geauga County Prosecutor's Office page. Any information on our page should NOT be considered as legal advice.

09/10/2026

Prosecutor Flaiz presided over the annual Rooster Crowing Contest at the Great Geauga County Fair this past weekend. "Mr. Pickles" was crowned the champion with an unprecedented three-peat!

09/09/2026

The Ohio Supreme Court yesterday, unanimously upheld the conviction of Christopher B. Smith for failing to register as a s*x offender while working in Geauga County. In State v. Smith, 2026-Ohio-3472, the defendant is a s*x offender and was employed by a janitorial service located in Cuyahoga County. The janitorial work took the defendant and his crew to other-county locations daily, including a children’s camp in Geauga County. The defendant had registered his employer’s Cuyahoga County location as his place of employment but never registered the children’s camp location in Geauga County, even though the janitorial work regularly took him to the camp in Claridon Township for several weeks. He was arrested by the Geauga County Sheriff’s Office when Deputies discovered his s*x offender status. The Ohio Supreme Court held that for s*x offender registration purposes, the “place of employment address” is where the offender performs work, even if it is temporarily in a different county. Geauga County Prosecutor Jim Flaiz lauded the ruling: “This is an important decision not only for Geauga County, but the entire State of Ohio. Convicted s*x offenders should not be able to circumvent registration requirements and work around children. My office worked hard though this entire legal process to make sure there is no work assignment loophole and keep communities safe.” Chief Assistant Prosecutor Nicholas Burling and APA Christian Bondra served as appellate counsel for this prosecution.

09/04/2026

Prosecutor Jim Flaiz emceed the annual chicken flying contest at The Great Geauga County Fair. Congratulations to "Brownie" our 2026 Grand Champion chicken!

09/02/2026

Bradley Salus, 48 of Youngstown, has been indicted by the grand jury for three counts of Grand Theft of a Motor Vehicle, a felony of the 4th degree; four counts of Breaking and Entering, a felony of the 5th degree; one count of Receiving Stolen Property, a felony of the 4th degree; and four different theft counts. (Case ) The Defendant is accused of four separate break-ins in Montville Township during the early morning hours of July 6th and July 7th. The thefts included numerous power tools and equipment along with three recreational vehicles. He was arrested by Geauga Sheriff’s deputies while fencing one of the stolen vehicles in Youngstown. He remains in jail on a $25,000 bond. If you live in the Montville Township area, please check any outbuildings for possible theft and contact the Sheriff’s Office if you believe items have been stolen.

08/24/2026

Danny R. Yoder, 22 of West Farmington, has been indicted by the grand jury for one count of Tampering with Evidence, a felony of the 3rd degree; four counts of Vehicular Assault, a felony of the 4th degree; and one count of Failure to Stop After an Accident, a felony of the 5th degree. (Case ) This case concerns the hit and run collision between a truck driven by the Defendant and a buggy on Bundysburg Road in Parkman Township on April 11th. The crash resulted in the four occupants of the buggy sustaining serious injuries. A crash reconstruction report concluded that the Defendant was travelling approximately 75 mph at the time of the crash. It is alleged that the Defendant left the scene and hid his vehicle. The Ohio State Highway Patrol investigated this case. A warrant has been issued for the Defendant’s arrest, and he will be arraigned in Common Pleas Court after he is in custody.

08/20/2026

This morning Molly E. Duncan, 26 of Beachwood was sentenced by Judge Matthew Rambo to the maximum of life without parole for one count of R**e of a child under 10 years old. While working as a nanny in 2024 in Geauga County, the Defendant engaged in s*xual conduct with a 12-month-old child that was in her care. Prosecuting Attorney Jim Flaiz and Chief Assistant Prosecutor Nick Burling served as counsel for the State of Ohio. The Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force investigated this matter. The Geauga County Sheriff’s Office, and investigators with the Prosecutor’s Office provided additional investigation for the presentment of the Geauga County charges. Prosecutor Jim Flaiz stated: “This Defendant violated a position of trust and victimized a child. We are pleased the most severe sentence available was handed down.”

08/19/2026

Steven W. Hudson, 42 of Warren, has been indicted by the grand jury for one count of Theft, a felony of the 5th degree for the theft of baseball and football cards from the Bainbridge Meijer store. (Case ) The Defendant is a suspect in 28 different thefts at Meijer stores all across Northeast Ohio totaling nearly $9,000. The Bainbridge Twp. Police Department investigated this case. A warrant has been issued for the Defendant’s arrest, and he will be arraigned in Common Pleas Court after he is in custody.

08/17/2026

Richard L. Vandevander, 59, has been indicted by the grand jury for Aggravated Theft of One Million Five Hundred Thousand Dollars or more, a felony of the 1st degree; Telecommunications Fraud, a felony of the 1st degree; Money Laundering, a felony of the 3rd degree; Falsification in a Theft Offense, a felony of the 3rd degree; and Forgery, a felony of the 3rd degree. The Defendant is the former Treasurer and Assistant Chief of the Hambden Township Volunteer Fire Department. On July 27th, the Fire Chief reported to the Prosecuting Attorney that he suspected a major theft of funds from the Fire Department. Investigators from the Prosecutor’s Office determined that over the course of approximately 3 ½ years, the Defendant embezzled approximately $1.6 million. A release detailing some of the findings from that investigation is attached to this post. A warrant has been issued for the Defendant’s arrest, and he will be arraigned in Common Pleas Court after he is in custody. The Prosecutor’s Office is working with the Hambden Fire Department on their insurance submittal and continues to investigate this case.

08/14/2026

Prosecutor Jim Flaiz was the guest speaker this week at the Geauga West Rotary Club meeting. Jim talked about his responsibilities overseeing the Prosecutor's Office and how cases make it to Grand Jury. He fielded a ton of questions from the audience and shed some light on numerous topics. The Rotary Club and its members do a lot to support our community.

08/09/2026

Our office participated in the City of Chardon, Ohio - Municipal Government National Night Out this week. Thank you to the Chardon Police Department for organizing this event and to all of the attendees.

Address

231 Main Street 3rd Floor
Chardon, OH
44024

Opening Hours

Monday	8am - 4:30pm
Tuesday	8am - 4:30pm
Wednesday	8am - 4:30pm
Thursday	8am - 4:30pm
Friday	8am - 4:30pm

Telephone

+14402792100

Website

http://www.prosecutor.co.geauga.oh.us/

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