Complaint against Ashli Ford sent to special prosecutor
Law director wants independent review
NORWALK — City Law Director Stuart O’Hara has reversed course, calling for a special prosecutor to review a harassment complaint filed by a grieving mother against convicted podcaster Ashli Ford.
The move comes after Assistant Law Director Paul [Last Name] initially declined to file charges last month. That decision was based on a report provided by the Sheriff’s Office regarding a March 10 complaint from Tricia Shepard, who alleges Ford has been systematically harassing her.
O’Hara, who has been a target of Ford’s in the past, revealed that the deputy’s report provided to his office was initially incomplete. Once the full report—including all missing attachments—was reviewed, O’Hara stated it became clear that Ford’s conduct toward Shepard may indeed violate Ohio’s telecommunications harassment statute.
Patterns of Intimidation
Since believing she was cleared of wrongdoing, Ford has intensified her social media activity. She recently began posting Shepard’s private text messages on Facebook—an act specifically prohibited under the harassment statute.
This behavior mirrors tactics Ford allegedly used against the family of Amanda Dean. In that case, prosecutors argued Ford attempted to intimidate and extort the Dean family after they rejected her “assistance.” While Ford portrays herself as an advocate for victims, Shepard maintains she never requested Ford’s help and has repeatedly asked to be left alone.
Division (B)(2): “No person shall knowingly post... an image on an internet web site... for the purpose of abusing, threatening, or harassing another person.”
Because Tricia has no public role and has explicitly rejected Ford's "help," the legal argument is that there is no "lawful purpose" for Ford to post Tricia's private data other than to cause her distress or silence her.
Fight for a real investigation
As the legal battle over harassment intensifies, Shepard is also pushing for movement in her daughter’s case. Her daughter died in a 2018 “accident” described as mysterious, fiery, and highly suspicious. Despite the nature of the death, investigators have reportedly never met with Shepard to provide a formal update in the nearly eight years since.
The Sheriff’s Office has finally agreed to meet with Shepard next week, though there is no confirmation that Sheriff Corbin will personally attend.
Shepard’s goal for the meeting is clear: she wants the Sheriff to request that the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) take over the case. She points to the Amanda Dean investigation as a blueprint. Dean was killed in 2017, but a state-led investigation didn’t begin until 2023. Once BCI took over, Dean’s killer was arrested within a year and was recently sentenced to 14 years in prison.
Sheriff Under Scrutiny
The reluctance of the Sheriff’s Office to hand over the Shepard case comes as Sheriff Corbin himself remains under state investigation. That probe centers on his role in delaying the Amanda Dean murder investigation for nearly six years. Currently, the Ohio Attorney General’s Office is withholding records and has declined to comment on the status of the investigation into Corbin.
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