SANDUSKY — In a final court filing submitted ahead of a pending ruling on her motion to dismiss, podcaster Ashli Ford is once again asking Erie County Common Pleas Judge Beverly McGookey to throw out her criminal case and step down from the bench.
Defense attorney Peter Pattakos submitted the proposed findings of fact on Tuesday following an order from McGookey. The filing reiterates the same central claims Pattakos previously lodged in three separate affidavits of disqualification rejected by the Chief Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court: that county prosecutors tampered with the jury during Ford’s May trial by improperly replacing a juror, and that the state added a retaliatory perjury charge.
Ford faces felony charges in connection with allegations that she forged loan documents and used her ex-husband’s identity to secure a modified mortgage and COVID relief funds. Her initial trial ended in a mistrial in May after jurors deadlocked, and prosecutors immediately announced plans to retry her.
In the latest filing, Pattakos argues that McGookey cannot impartially rule on the dismissal motion due to an “appearance of impropriety and bias,” calling for her recusal alongside a full dismissal of the charges.
The state previously dismissed Pattakos’ arguments as “spurious and unsupported,” arguing the juror was properly removed for sleeping and noting that the Chief Justice already found no evidence of judicial or prosecutorial misconduct.
Judge McGookey is expected to issue a ruling on the motion to dismiss and recusal request.
