The former Wapakoneta mayor has reported to jail to serve the sentencing for the misdemeanor charges he was found guilty of in 2022. According to jail records, 64-year-old Tom Stinebaugh was booked in the Auglaize County Jail on Wednesday to serve six months for being found guilty of three counts of conflict of interest. Earlier this month, the Third District Court of Appeals vacated his trial convictions on the felony charges of unlawful interest in a public contract and theft in office. That also removed the 18 months of prison time he was sentenced to following his trial. 

AUGLAIZE COUNTY, OH (WLIO) - The former Wapakoneta mayor wins his appeal for his 2022 conviction in Auglaize County Common Pleas Court.

Over the weekend, the jury in Tom Stinebaugh's trial returned a total of five guilty verdicts on the charges of having unlawful interest in a public contract and theft in office, which are both felony charges, and three misdemeanor charges of conflict of interest. The charges stem from different incidents including Stinebaugh allegedly using his position as mayor to have the city install a sewer line to a home his company built at the Wapakoneta's expense.

The fate of the suspended Wapakoneta mayor is now in the hands of a jury.  Tom Stinebaugh took the stand in his own defense Friday to dispute the multiple charges he is facing including having unlawful interest in a public contract, conflict of interest, and theft in office.  The state says charges are being focused around a handful of incidents. . Including appointing his brother as acting fire chief days after taking the office of mayor and hiring his sister's company to make signs for the 50th anniversary of Neil Armstrong’s moon landing.  

Tom Stinebaugh is facing multiple counts including having unlawful interest in a public contract, conflict of interest, and theft in office. The prosecution says the charges are being focused around a handful of incidents, including appointing his brother as acting fire chief days after taking the office of mayor. He also allegedly made the city pay for the construction of a sewer line to a home that his company built. 

According to the Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, the reason there was an investigation into Stinebaugh is because of alleged public corruption charges related to business dealings that he conducted while in his elected position.  Those offenses took place between 2016 and 2019 and involved entering into contracts with family members and a business partner. It is also accuses Stinebaugh had the city pay for a sewer line on a property that his private company is developing.

The charges stem from allegations that between 2016 and 2019 in his capacity as mayor, Stinebaugh entered into contracts with family members and a business partner. He is also accused of having the city pay for a sewer line on a property that his private company was developing. Yost says suspension proceedings will be initiated for Stinebaugh under an Ohio Revised Code which allows the termination of a public official who has been charged with a felony when it relates to the performance of the official's duties.

The Wapakoneta Chamber of Commerce held its State of the City, County, and Schools luncheon on Thursday to catch up on what's been happening in the area. City and county officials spoke on updates, and what projects they have going forward. For Auglaize County as a whole, they are getting their hands into pushing water and sewage to the east side of I-75 in Cridersville for a business development called The Crossroads. Auglaize County Commissioner Doug Spencer says their most recent accomplishment has been a sales tax revenue of $10.7 million collected in 2020.

The annual State of Auglaize County address was pushed back due to the COVID-19 pandemic. None the less there’s plenty the area is preparing for.

The county is wrapping up the long awaited renovation to the Neil Armstrong Airport. The last of the furniture is going into the terminal this week. An open house is expected in the spring.

"It’s a project we’ve been working on for a long time," said John Bergman, Auglaize County Commissioner. "And it’s come to fruition. It’s a nice addition to the county. It’s the gateway to the word from Auglaize County. And a gateway from the world back into Auglaize County."

Wapakoneta is seeing major developments in their downtown Riverscape project along the Auglaize River. It is set to be complete by the end of November, over five years after its proposal.