Why is the state hiding the Amanda Dean file?
A 14-year sentence and a 5-year silence
NORWALK — On Monday, justice for Amanda Dean arrived in the form of a 14-year prison sentence for Fred Reer Jr. But as the courtroom cleared, a new wall of silence went up.
The Ohio Attorney General’s Office has officially declined to release any records related to its investigation of the Dean homicide. They are leaning on a familiar, often-criticized legal shield: Confidential Law Enforcement Investigatory Records (CLEIRs).
In theory, the CLEIR exemption exists to protect active investigations from being compromised. In practice, transparency advocates call it a “catchall” used to keep the public in the dark. According to the Ohio Public Records Act, once an investigation is concluded and a trial finished, those records should be open to the public.
With Reer sentenced and the case closed, the state’s refusal to open the file raises a haunting question: Who else are they protecting?
