STATE REQUESTS COURT TO DISMISS CASES INVOLVING FORMER REYNOLDSBURG POLICE OFFICER TYE DOWNARD

Posted on 3/22/2016

Defendant: TYE DOWNARD

Prosecutor Ron O’Brien has announced today that after reviewing pending cases in which former Reynoldsburg Police Officer Tye Downard was involved that it was determined that in the interest of justice and in the integrity of the investigation and prosecution that the State would request dismissals in the following 15 pending cases and the Court has granted the dismissal requests:

 

Larry Williams            Possession of Cocaine

Teddy Walls, Jr.          Possession of Marijuana

Marvon Montague      Possession of Marijuana

Anthony Turner          Trafficking in Marijuana, Possession of Marijuana

Kenneth Layton, Jr.    Possession and Trafficking Cocaine/Major Drug Offender (MDO),

                                          Possession and Trafficking Marijuana/MDO, Trafficking in Marijuana

Bradley Shira              Possession of Marijuana

Alex Harper                Trafficking and Possession of Cocaine, Weapon Under Disability

Charles Kramer           Illegal Cultivation w/Specification, Trafficking and Possession of Marijuana                                         w/Specification

Amber Graham           Illegal Cultivation w/Specification, Trafficking and Possession of Marijuana                                         w/Specification

Zachary Simcoe          Illegal Cultivation w/Specification, Trafficking and Possession of Marijuana                                         w/Specification

Darnell Jenkins            Trafficking and Possession Marijuana

Dearco Stillwell          Possession of Marijuana

Johnny Robertson       Possession of Marijuana

Marquis Lucas             Possession of Marijuana

Brian Estrada              Trafficking and Possession of Heroin

 

            Prosecutor O’Brien stated, “The prosecution has a duty to seek justice based on available evidence that was lawfully seized.  The federal charges filed against Det. Downard before his death raised a sufficient doubt as to whether a fair prosecution could proceed given his involvement in these cases.  After review of these files a dismissal was requested as the investigation and seizures could not be sufficiently divorced from Downard’s involvement.”

 

            Letters were written to defense counsel in closed cases advising them of the misconduct with a request that this office be contacted if the reliability of the prosecution that resulted in a conviction is in question.  One motion for a new trial has been filed, which is pending review and decision.