Special prosecutor appointed for investigation into allegations involving Tri-State judge

BATAVIA, Ohio (WXIX) - A special prosecutor has been appointed to oversee an investigation into allegations involving a Clermont County judge and one of his staff members, FOX19 NOW has confirmed.

Clermont County Prosecutor Mark Tekulve requested the appointment of a special prosecutor in a court filing on Wednesday, according to a copy of it.

Clermont County Common Pleas Court Judge Kevin Miles signed an entry approving the request on Thursday.

His office sent out a news release with the court records and a prepared statement shortly after FOX19 NOW called his office Friday morning and left a message seeking comment.

“My office has received several inquiries regarding a Motion for Appointment of Special Prosecutor,” Tekulve said in the release. “The motion was filed due to a potential conflict of interest should a criminal investigation be initiated in the referenced matter.”

His motion says Warren County Prosecutor Dave Fornshell “has agreed to investigate and prosecute, if necessary, allegations involving J/A, and that a uniform investigation and prosecution would best serve the interest of justice.”

It also requests that Fornshell, or an assistant prosecuting attorney designee from his office, be appointed “to fully prosecute this case in the Clermont County Court of Common Pleas as well as all other courts in the State of Ohio, if necessary until all matters are complete.

“Prosecutor David Fornshell and his designated Assistant Prosecuting Attorney (s) will serve as Special Prosecutor at no cost to Clermont County.”

The judge’s order appointing Fornshell special prosecutor says he will “investigate, prosecute and adjudicate, as necessary, all proceedings that may arise from this appointment, including but not limited to grand jury, pretrial and trial court proceedings, appeals and post-conviction proceedings and any and all other prosecutorial duties which may arise herein relating to the allegations involving J/A.”

Fornshell declined to comment Friday morning.

The Clermont County prosecutor’s request for a special prosecutor comes just days after FOX19 NOW requested several public records related to Clermont County Municipal Court Judge Jesse Kramig and his administrative assistant, Allison Kersker.

So far, Clermont County Municipal Court officials have not released any records.

Municipal Court staff insisted - even after we asked them to double check with Municipal Court Judge Jason Nagel, the administrative judge - that only the court administrator could provide public records and she was out of the office until next week.

We also sent our records request to the Clermont County Prosecutor’s Office.

FOX19 NOW left messages seeking comment from the judge, 42, and Kersker, 25, Friday morning.

We will update this story once we hear back.

Kramig has been a judge in Clermont County since 2016.

He also worked in the county prosecutor’s office at one point as an assistant prosecutor of felony cases.

In 2014, he was promoted by then-County Prosecutor Vincent Faris to supervisory assistant in the common pleas felony division.

He handled the office’s most serious cases and supervised other assistant prosecutors and other staff and for making recommendations on presentment of cases to the grand jury, according to his biography on the court’s website.

Kramig began working at the Ohio Attorney General’s Office in 2015 as a senior assistant attorney general.

The position required him to travel to different Ohio counties, trying and convicting multiple offenders for white-collar crimes, corrupt activity and theft from the elderly.

In 2016, then-Gov. John Kasich appointed Kramig to complete the final year of Clermont County Municipal Court Judge Anthony Brock’s six-year term.

Kramig was elected the following year to serve a six-year term of his own.

He currently presides over his regular municipal court docket and the county’s OVI court.

Clermont County Board of Elections records show Kramig is unopposed on the November ballot.

Read the request for a special prosecutor and entry appointing Warren County’s prosecutor.

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