Amanda Dean files: 'True transparency' or truly toxic?
Ohio Attorney General put on notice: Murder investigation files belong to the public
SANDUSKY — Fred Reer’s trial is over. The 14-year prison sentence was handed down in December. By every standard of Ohio law, the “secrecy shield” around the Amanda Dean investigation should have evaporated the moment that courtroom door closed in January.
But as of this morning, those files remain locked in a vault in Columbus.
StayTunedSandusky.com sent a formal, pointed records request to Attorney General Dave Yost today, specifically targeting the materials the Huron County Sheriff’s Office spent seven years trying to bury. This isn’t the first such request and it isn’t just a “polite inquiry.” It’s a legal reminder that the people of Ohio—and the family of Amanda Dean—are done waiting for the truth.
Whose public records? Our public records
The request, which was also CC’d to Yost, his press secretary Steve Irwin, the special prosecutor who handled the case, Daniel Kasaris and the state investigator, John Saraya, specifically asks for:
The “Hammer” Evidence: The original, un-redacted reports from the January 2017 domestic violence call that Sheriff Corbin claimed didn’t warrant an arrest.
The “Shelter Call” Logs: Proof—or the lack thereof—that a domestic violence shelter ever actually called the Sheriff to say Amanda was safe.
The BCI Internal Review: Everything the state crime lab found when they finally took over the investigation and realized just how badly the initial ball had been dropped.
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Abusing secrecy
For years, public agencies across Ohio have treated the CLIER (Confidential Law Enforcement Investigatory Records) exemption like a magic wand. They wave it, and the truth disappears. This exemption was meant to protect active investigations and undercover sources—not to provide a permanent fallout shelter for incompetent or corrupt officials.
We are officially on the countdown to Sunshine Week (March 15-21). This is the national week dedicated to government transparency and the public’s right to know. Our goal is simple: we want these records in hand before the first “sunshine” headline hits on March 15.
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By continuing to withhold these files, Yost is participating in a classic bureaucratic stall. He and his staff know that under the landmark Caster v. Columbus ruling, the state cannot hide behind CLIER once a trial is over. The work product is no longer confidential. It belongs to the public; any member of the public who wants those records is entitled to them. Anyone.
Not so ‘true and transparent’
Dave Yost’s website is plastered with the slogan “True Transparency.” He considered running for governor in 2026 on a platform of “accountability” and “upholding the rule of law.” But transparency isn’t a campaign slogan; it’s a statutory requirement.
In Ohio, the Attorney General is legally obligated to interpret the Public Records Act liberally in favor of release and strictly against concealment. Instead, Yost has consistently chosen to be immune to accountability, acting more like a defense attorney for bad actors than a champion for the public’s right to know. If the “Rule of Law” only applies when it’s politically convenient for the AG, then it isn’t the law at all—it’s just a PR stunt.
Why this fight matters
We asked Yost for prompt and courteous attention to this matter—the kind of attention a public agency owes to its constituents. We aren’t just asking for papers; we are demanding an end to the “charade” that allowed a killer to walk free for 5½ years while a Sheriff’s Office mocked a grieving mother.
Please help
This fight isn’t free, and it isn’t easy. While the AG has a floor full of taxpayer-funded lawyers to help him hide the truth, we only have you. Supporting StayTunedSandusky.com allows us to keep the pressure on Columbus and ensure that “True Transparency” becomes a reality, not just another empty promise on a campaign poster.
Amanda Dean’s family waited many years for an arrest. They shouldn’t have to wait another day for the truth.