SCIOTO COUNTY, Ohio – The Scioto County Commissioner facing multiple felony charges did not attend Thursday morning’s commission meeting.
This is the second Commission meeting since Bryan Davis’ indictment last month, and he has not attended either.
Commissioners Merit Smith and Scottie Powell, who were both present Thursday morning, have asked Davis to resign. However, Powell claims that things are in limbo at the moment, and that they are conducting business without Davis.
Powell and Smith say Davis has cleared out his office, but it’s unclear whether he intends to resign. According to Powell, the rest of the Commission has no authority to force a resignation under Ohio State Code.
Scioto County commissioner indicted; colleagues call for resignation.
“So, our goal now is to move forward and figure out ‘How do we instill trust back into the system?’ And what we’re trying to do in Scioto County, particularly in terms of economic development,” Powell explained. “Because first our economic development director was indicted, and now his alleged business partner, a county commissioner.
So, we have a lot of work ahead of us, and we have a lot of great organizations ready to help.”
Davis faces 13 charges in the indictment, which was filed on August 22, 2025, including Corrupt Activity, Theft in Office, Money Laundering, Forgery, and Aggravated Theft.
His wife, Lorinda Sue, is facing ten charges, including corrupt activity, money laundering, tampering with evidence, forgery, and receiving stolen property.
In a Facebook post, Powell stated that on February 14, 2023, he discovered a potential conflict of interest between “Commissioner Davis, Economic Development Director Robert Horton, and their wives’ shared business.” An investigation was then launched into the matter.
Powell then stated that on February 14, 2025, the Scioto County Board of Commissioners learned of felony indictments against Robert Horton and his wife.
According to the indictment, Horton faces 15 charges, including Corrupt Activity, Theft in Office, Telecommunications Fraud, Falsification, and Bribery.
His wife, Lioubov, is charged with 12 counts, including corrupt activity, theft in office, bribery, tampering with evidence, money laundering, and having an unlawful interest in a public contract.
