Republican representative sanctioned by Ohio House following sexual misconduct investigation
May 14—By Anna Staver
cleveland.com (TNS)
COLUMBUS — A Dayton area Republican has been stripped of his committee assignments following an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct involving a minor family member.
According to records from the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, Rep. Rodney Creech was accused of inapproperiately touching a minor multiple times and climbing into the minor's bedwith an erection.
No criminal charges were filed, and Creech characterized the release of the investigative report as a "political smear piece" meant to derail his campaign for state Senate.
"These allegations have been found to be demonstrably false, and I have already begun pursuing legal action against those who are pushing this filth," Creech said in a statement. "Like President Trump, I am no stranger to false media attacks. This will not deter my important work."
Cleveland.com left a message with House Speaker Matt Huffman, a Lima Republican, asking whether he plans to ask Creech to resign.
Huffman removed Creech from his committee assignments Tuesday, including his chairmanship of the House Agriculture Committee.
"I do not think the pressure to step down from my committees is justified, but I do believe Speaker Huffman is doing what he believes to be in the best interest of the Ohio House," Creech said.
The allegations against Creech were first reported to Preble County Sheriff Michael Simpson in the summer of 2023.
Simpson declined to investigate, citing aconflictof interest. Creech is a former county comissioner and the two men have known each other for years.
Simpson sent the caseto the Ohio Attorney General's Special Prosecutions Unit, which assigned Clark County Prosecutor Daniel Driscoll to the matter. Preble County Prosecutor Martin Votel also had a conflict of interest.
During the investigation, Creech admitted to sometimes getting into bed with the minor but denied any wrongdoing or inappropriate behavior.
BCI's investigation records also showed Creech spoke with fellow Republican Rep. Phil Plummer about the investigation.
Plummer, a former Montgomery County Sheriff, told investgators he found some of Creech's comments about the situation to be "disgusting, uncalled for, and appalling."
Plummer lives in the same state Senate district as Creech but has yet to say whether he intends to seek the GOP nomination.
In October 2024, Driscoll closed the case and wrote that while Creech's behavior was "concerning and suspicious," the evidence "falls short of the threshold needed for prosecution."
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