SHAWNEE TOWNSHIP, Ohio (WLIO) — Shawnee Township Fire Chief Austin Miller, who has been on paid administrative leave for nearly three months, has filed a complaint against the Shawnee Township trustees in the Ohio Supreme Court, alleging they failed to respond to public records requests.
According to documentation provided by the law firm Smith, Warnecke, Meredith and Clark, which represents Miller, the complaint centers on public records requests submitted at the end of May and in June related to investigations involving Miller by the Ohio Auditor of State's Special Investigations Unit and the township.
The complaint alleges the law firm has not received the requested records or any response from the township after filing a complaint with township officials on July 22 regarding the failure to provide the requested documents.
Miller has been on paid administrative leave since May after the trustees announced he was being investigated. In a previous press release, the trustees said the Auditor of State's Office was investigating alleged criminal and ethical violations involving Miller.
On Friday, a spokesperson for the Auditor of State's Office told Your News Now that the investigation remains ongoing but declined to provide additional details.
The township is also conducting its own investigation involving other potential criminal allegations and policy violations. Township trustees have hired an attorney to review the public records requests to ensure the township complies with Ohio public records laws.
In January, Miller was reinstated after serving a seven-month suspension stemming from charges brought by the Board of Trustees. Those charges were later dismissed after the parties reached an agreement.
The complaint was filed Friday. It is not yet known what action, if any, the Ohio Supreme Court will take.
