SANDUSKY — In a move that should surprise nobody, Ohio Attorney General David Yost declined comment on receiving the inaugural WOAT (Worst Of All Time) abuser of public records law.
Yost declined comment after he decided not to prosecute a serial rapist who admitted what he did and corroborated the alleged victim’s story in a recorded conversation with a state investigator. The assault, as it was occurring, also was recorded, but Yost never provided any response to questions or explain why he opted not to prosecute the man.
Yost also declined to comment after he falsely accused a woman of fabricating a sexual misconduct complaint against a Put-in-Bay police officer. Even after two other women who alleged they were raped by the same man under similar circumstances (drugged) Yost still refused to drop the charges against the woman. He never explained why he wanted to convict a sexual assault victim of falsification.
Yost’s staff was equally incompetent at addressing any questions about anything, a trait Yost’s team — from Carol O’Brien, the chief prosecutor, to Steven Irwin, a press secretary, has mastered: the art of doing nothing, avoiding a principled stand on everything, and looking busy, all at the same time.
Now he’s unlawfully withholding the investigative records into the murder of Amanda Dean, hiding what caused a 7½-year delay before Amanda Dean got justice. Yost won’t say why Huron County Sheriff Todd Corbin refused for all those years to investigate her murder.
Yost and his team have spent seven years and 2½ months not answering questions.
Fortress of silence
Yost’s staff has spent years mastering the art of the “non-response,” a trait shared by his team—from Chief Prosecutor Carol O’Brien to Press Secretary Steven Irwin. They have turned public service into a game of hide-and-seek, avoiding principled stands and looking busy while the most vulnerable Ohioans are left without justice.
They’ve spent seven years and 2½ months not answering a single question.
The “Inaugural WOAT” Award The WOAT (Worst Of All Time) award isn’t just a snarky label; it is a recognition of a systemic failure to uphold the spirit of Ohio’s Public Records Act. Under Yost, the Attorney General’s office has become a black hole where sensitive investigations go to die, and public inquiries go to be ignored.
Whether it is the recorded confession of a serial rapist that Yost refused to prosecute, or the “falsification” charges he stubbornly maintained against a drugged victim in Put-in-Bay, the pattern is the same:
The Refusal to Explain: Silence isn’t just a lack of words; in the AG’s office, it is a shield against accountability.
The Refusal to Rectify: Even when presented with corroborating evidence or multiple victims, the office chooses the path of least resistance—or, in the case of the Put-in-Bay victim, the path of most cruelty.
Why WOAT matters
When the highest law enforcement officer in the state refuses to address the “why” behind his decisions, the law becomes arbitrary. If a recorded confession isn’t enough to trigger a prosecution under David Yost, what is? If three victims aren’t enough to drop a vendetta against a woman falsely accused of lying, then the office isn’t seeking justice—it’s seeking a win-loss record.
The “Art of Doing Nothing” has real-world consequences. It leaves rapists on the street, it leaves victims in the crosshairs of the state, and it leaves the public in the dark.
As Yost enters the final stretch of his second term, the WOAT award stands as his true legacy: A man who talked a big game about the law, but spent nearly a decade making sure nobody could actually see how he was applying it.
