Hocking County prosecutor accused of sexual harassment of staff, sex with a commissioner
Bethany BrunerA state agency responsible for investigating misconduct by Ohio attorneys and judges has filed a complaint against Hocking County Prosecutor Ryan Black, accusing him of, among other things, being caught by his fiancé amid a sexual encounter with a county commissioner.
Black, 41, was elected Hocking County prosecutor in November 2020 and submitted his resignation last month, but it is not effective until April 19. He submitted his resignation after being sued in U.S. District Court in Columbus for sexual discrimination by two former female employees.
On Wednesday, the Ohio Disciplinary Counsel, an office of the Ohio Supreme Court that investigates and prosecutes attorneys and judicial officers who are accused of ethical and professional misconduct, filed a formal complaint against Black with the Ohio Board of Professional Conduct. The board is a quasi-judicial body appointed by the state Supreme Court that hears complaints of misconduct and makes recommendations to Ohio's highest court on an appropriate sanction, which can include disbarment.
The 30-page complaint contains some of the allegations included in the sexual discrimination lawsuit, such as accusations that Black wanted female staffers wearing bikinis to move a couch into his office that Black later referred to as a "casting couch" and "insinuated he was going to video record sexual activity on the couch." Another accusation is that a former victim advocate in the office felt pressured into having a sexual relationship with Black.
But the complaint also includes new allegations involving an assistant prosecutor in the office who resigned after about 11 months on the job, and accusations that Black celebrated a staff member's miscarriage.
Alvin Mathews, who is representing Black in the disciplinary matter, told The Dispatch Friday he does not believe all of the allegations in the complaint will be proven.
"There were obvious issues that needed to be addressed with his health and he's been addressing those," Mathews said.
According to the complaint, Black had been working with the female assistant prosecutor when he made a comment to another employee about the assistant prosecutor's dress.
The complaint says Black commented that the dress "made him want (her) to wrap her legs around his face..."
Black also sent multiple, unsolicited photographs of himself shirtless to the female assistant prosecutor and said he would try to get a raise for her, texting her in part, "I'd give ya 200k if it meant I got flattered all the time."
Another female assistant prosecutor attempted to avoid Black altogether by limiting her time in the office, barricading her desk space with bookshelves and doing work outside of normal office hours, the complaint says.
The unprofessional behavior Black exhibited toward staff created a hostile work environment, the complaint says, citing Black's use of obscenity "to the point that it made staff members uncomfortable," erratic behavior that concerned staff because Black was known to keep a firearm in his office, and staff members determining that "regularly complimenting (Black's) physical appearance was effective" in placating him.
Text messages within the disciplinary complaint included several between Black and a female staff member who said she felt pressured to have a sexual relationship with Black because he could fire her. The texts made multiple references to sexual interactions, Black buying her lunch, and encouraging her to visit him at home for rendezvouses under the guise of running work-related errands.
In one text message, the staffer told Black she had purchased new work clothes. Black replied, in part: "If you look dashing and I grope you don't sue me lmao."
The complaint accuses Black of having an emotional outburst in the face of that same female staff member and then forcing her to take a two-week leave from the office, calling her "unstable."
Another accusation in the complaint is that Black, who was engaged, had a sexual relationship with a client.
The complaint says Black's fiancé came home early in August 2023 and found Hocking County Commissioner Jessica Dicken and Black engaged in sex. While two adults can consent to sexual liaisons, the disciplinary complaint states the conduct was inappropriate because the prosecutor's office represents the county commissioners as clients in legal matters.
According to the complaint, Dicken and Black had no sexual relationship prior to their elections to their respective positions.
Dicken is currently suspended from her position as a commissioner because of an open felony indictment filed in September, alleging she mismanaged funds while acting as the Hocking County Fair Board secretary, Commissioner Jason D'Onofrio confirmed Thursday.
A special prosecutor is handling Dicken's case, according to court records, because Black's office represents the commissioners.
The Dispatch reached Dicken by phone on Thursday afternoon and when asked for comment on the allegations included in the complaint, she hung up.
Black has until April 23 to respond to the complaint against him.