EX-CANDIDATE DENIES EXTORTION
Republican candidate had accused legislator of sex-related conduct.
Former Republican Statehouse candidate Jocelyn Smith has denied charges of extortion and coercion related to alleged threats shemade against her primary opponent, State Rep. Rick Perales.
Smith, 36, of Fairborn, appeared Friday in Greene County Common Pleas Court with her attorney, Ben Swift. After she entered a plea of not guilty, the judge released her on her own recognizance.
Smith faces a third-degree felony count of extortion and a second-degree misdemeanor count of coercion, according to court records of the secret indictment filed June 15. Smith is a registered-nurse case manager at Sheakley Unicomp and a teacher at Fortis College.
Smith faces up to 36months in prison on the extortion charge, a third-degree felony, according to Swift.
In an interview with media following the arraignment, Swift called the prosecution of his client “vindictive.”
“I think you have to question the motivation of the alleged victim in this case ... We all know that things are said during political campaigns. For some reason, Mr. Perales has chosen to go the court route, and I believe this is an abuse of process of the judiciary and a waste of the taxpayers’ money,” Swift said.
Smith was indicted on the charges in June. The allegations stem froma complaint that Perales, R-Beavercreek, filed with Fairborn police in April after Smith held a March 27 news conference.
During her campaign, Smith alleged that Perales choked, forc---
ibly kissed, fondled and sexted with her in 2015. Perales admitted sending inappropriate sexually oriented text messages to Smith, but denied having any kind of physical relationship with her.
At the news conference, Smith said that if Perales did not resign fromthe state legislature and withdraw from the Republican primary, she would release texts and other documentation she said proved her allegations.
“Please don’t force me to release the rest of the text messages and other mountains of evidence,” Smith said at the news conference. “I think you know the honorable thing to do is to step down.”
Perales, who defeated Smith in the May GOP primary 80 percent to 20 percent, has said hej ust wants to focus on serving hiswestern Greene County 73rd District.
Perales faces Kim McCarthy, a Sugarcreek Twp. Democrat, in the Nov. 6 general election.
Greene County Prosecutor Stephen Haller referred the case to a special prosecutor, Madison County Prosecutor Stephen Pronai, to avoid any potential conflicts of interest.