Charges against Columbus mayor of improper talks with judge dropped

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- No charges will be filed against Mayor Andrew Ginther in relation to a conversation he had with the judge who was originally overseeing the city's lawsuit against its crime-ridden Greyhound station.

Special prosecutor Brad Nicodemus, the Whitehall city attorney, was assigned last December to investigate potential charges of obstruction of official business and interference with civil rights against Ginther, but he said Wednesday he found no probable cause to charge the mayor.

The decision comes as Greyhound announced service will return Downtown on Jan. 3 through a curbside stop on East Mound Street, with its Wilson Road terminal -- which was the subject of the legal action -- being used for transfers only.

The night before Wednesday's announcement, Nicodemus was addressed angrily at a Whitehall City Council meeting by Joe Motil, who filed the complaint and ran against Ginther in the last mayoral election. 

"Mr. Nicodemus has not contacted or interviewed me, even though I am the complainant in this matter," Motil said. "One year after this agreement was assigned to be investigating, there's been nothing but silence."

Accusations against Ginther came on Dec. 8, 2023, as court proceedings resumed for an August lawsuit overseen by Judge Stephanie Mingo of Franklin County Municipal Court between the city, Greyhound Lines and Barons Bus, the station's operator.

The lawsuit was filed after multiple complaints of safety and sanitation concerns at Wilson Road, including one where a station security officer had his ear bitten off. City Attorney Zach Klein was looking to declare the bus terminal a public nuisance.

Ginther allegedly called Mingo in October, which led Greyhound representatives to accuse him of having an improper conversation with Mingo. She recused herself on Dec. 11, 2023.