The Ohio Supreme Court ruled late Friday afternoon that a Summit County Common Pleas judge must unseal records connected to a Hudson teen accused of several felony charges.
Former Hudson Mayor Craig Shubert filed a petition May 15 asking the Ohio Supreme Court to examine Common Pleas Judge Alison Breaux’s decision to seal the case against Jeremiah Stoehr, 18, who is facing five felony charges, including rape and kidnapping of a 9-year-old. At the time of the order, Stoehr was in the final stretch of his senior year at Hudson High School.
The Ohio Supreme Court justices stated in the Friday ruling they agreed with Shubert that Breaux had not considered if the order to seal the records was the least restrictive way possible, and ordered the records unsealed “and to conduct a proper review of the documents sought to be restricted.”
“When restricting public access, the court must use the least restrictive means available,” the court ruling stated. “Judge Breaux’s sealing orders restrict ‘any public access’ to a broad set of documents.”