Hortons Appear for Pretrial as Economic Development Controversy Unfolds
Tensions continue to rise in Scioto County as more comes to light
Quick Hitters
First off, I’d like to thank everyone who has been following. The subscriptions and donations help a lot. Secondly, I wanted to let readers know that things could be a little slower from here because there are bureaucratic obstacles and long periods of time waiting for more news to break. I am working on a longform piece about recent events involving the city of Portsmouth, and I hope you find the time to read it this weekend. I’ll be posting it Saturday.
Also, I highly encourage readers to tune into WNXT and listen to Bill Shope’s coverage. He’s been following this for some time, and his broadcasts are useful for those wanting more context.
-Scott
Portsmouth
Robert and Lioubov Horton appeared at the Scioto County Court of Common Pleas for a pre-trial criminal hearing this morning (3/11/2025). The 9:30 a.m. proceedings were closed to the public, and the Hortons spent the majority of their time waiting in a second-floor corridor for their legal team.
When approached for comment, Mr. Horton said, “No.”
At a Scioto County Commission meeting this past Thursday (3/6/2025) local activist Katie Cochran, who described herself as a concerned citizen, pressed the commission for answers regarding Mr. Horton and events that have unfolded in economic development since 2021.
Cochran asked questions about Mark Ward, a former employee of the Scioto County Economic Development Office and a Southern Ohio Port Authority Board member.
“There are timeline discrepancies,” said Cochran, questioning how the commission was unaware of Ward’s allegations of malfeasance by Horton.
In November 2022, Ward filed a lawsuit against Mr. Horton and all three members of the commission in the U.S. District Court, Southern District of Ohio Western Division (Case: 1:22-cv-00664-DRC Doc #: 1) for wrongful termination and defamation. According to the lawsuit, Ward informed Margaret Apel-Miller, an assistant Scioto County prosecuting attorney, that Mr. Horton forged his signature and pressured him to form a shell company in September 2021. Horton later accused Ward of brandishing a gun in the county's Economic Development office that November. Ward was placed on administrative leave and later resigned before a pre-disciplinary hearing.
Commissioner Powell said he wanted to be careful in discussing the matter, as there had already been litigation surrounding Ward’s dismissal, but he disagreed with linking it to the Hortons’ indictments.
“I don’t necessarily agree with that timeframe,” Powell said, adding that he didn’t want to discuss why or what was known at the time.
“I took action based on the information I had,” Powell continued. “It’s easy to go back and link things as things become more apparent.”
Cochran pointed out that Ward’s lawsuit, which accused Mr. Horton of malfeasance, was made publicly available on December 14, 2022. She asked if members of the commission had been aware of Ward’s allegations of “fraud and shell companies.” All three commissioners denied knowledge of the claims.
Powell responded that information available to the prosecutor’s office was not necessarily the same as what the commission would have received.
“From a legal standpoint, I don’t want to open us to any further litigation regarding Mr. Ward,” Powell said.
Cochran then pressed Commissioner Bryan Davis about O’Steel Building Systems of Ohio, LLC, a business his wife, Lorinda Davis, is listed as a representative of, describing it as a shell company.
“The other statement that you made about [O’Steel Building Systems of Ohio, LLC] being defined as a shell company—a company can be set up with the secretary of state,” Davis said, explaining that there had been no business transactions. “That doesn’t mean it’s a shell company, OK? That means it’s a company that never got started.”
This kicked off a tense exchange (minute 59:30) between Cochran and Davis as they argued over the definition of a shell company. Cochran countered that what Davis described fit the definition of a shell company. After an intense back-and-forth over public perception and allegations, Davis cut the conversation short.
“I’m not going to litigate this with you, today,” Davis said.
Commissioner Cathy Coleman said during a Feb. 20 meeting that she had raised concerns about O’Steel Building Systems of Ohio and Davis's involvement.
As scrutiny over economic development and alleged misconduct intensifies, the commission's handling of past and present allegations remains under the microscope.