An Ottawa County jury has found Ohio Rep. Steven Kraus guilty of a felony count of theft, which means he will be removed from office.
Kraus, (R., Sandusky), 55, was convicted this afternoon of theft, which is a fifth-degree felony, for allegedly going into a Danbury Township house and removing antiques.
The jury, which began deliberations last Friday, found him not guilty of breaking and entering.
The charges stemmed from an April, 2014 incident in which Kraus was accused of taking antiques from a home listed for sale and owned by Helen Stines.
Kraus said he had authorization from Mrs. Stines’ real-estate agent to enter her house. He said he removed several items for safekeeping but returned them soon after. The real estate agent, however, told the jury during last week’s trial she never gave him permission to enter the property or take items.
The conviction means Kraus will have to give up his seat in the state House. The Ohio Constitution requires the General Assembly to judge the eligibility of its members. Under that authority, the General Assembly passed a law holding that a person who pleads guilty to or is convicted of a felony is “incompetent” to hold public office.
A 1989 ruling out of the 10th District Court of Appeals in Columbus, involving a Cuyahoga County elections board member, determined that removal does not have to await the outcome of appeals.
Kraus has been in the House for nearly seven months. Last November, he upset former Rep. Chris Redfern (D., Catawba Island), the state’s Democratic Party chairman at the time, for the right to represent the Democratic-leaning 89th District encompassing Ottawa and Erie counties.
The remaining 64 members of the House Republican Caucus would choose Mr. Kraus’s replacement. This would likely occur after a special committee made up of GOP House members interviews candidates for the vacancy and makes recommendations to the full caucus.
The caucus vote would take place on the House floor. The House is currently on summer recess so it’s unlikely a replacement for Mr. Kraus would be seated until Sept. 30 at the earliest.
First Published July 27, 2015, 7:52 p.m.
