A couple of years ago Scioto County Deputy Sheriff Billy J. Cantrell pled guilty to having sex with a female inmate at the Scioto County Jail. Deputy Cantrell claimed that the sex was consensual but after pressure was put on by local internet site owners, including the Sentinel and Dougdeepe, Deputy Cantrell was eventually charged with the crime of sexual imposition.
With this conviction Deputy Cantrell lost his job as a deputy sheriff but Sheriff Marti Donini paid this sex offender unemployment compensation. While serving his jail time Cantrell was observed in his jail jumpsuit sitting behind the desk of Sheriff Donini with his feet up on top of the desk. It appeared Cantrell was receiving special treatment inside the jail. Was this because Cantrell was not the only deputy having sex with female inmates? Or was he just the only one we have caught so far?
On May 26, 2000 Billy Cantrell filed a motion with the State of Ohio in an attempt to get his EMT license reinstated. Cantrell was a certified EMT when he was found guilty of the sex case and lost his license as an EMT.
In his application for his licensure as an EMT Cantrell stated that he had never been convicted of a crime that involved "moral turpitude". Cantrell was granted his EMT license back in 2000. Then on August 30, 2004, Cantrell was required to file an application for re certification for his state EMT license. On this renewal certification Cantrell admitted he had been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor which initiated an investigation by the Ohio State Board of Emergency Medical Services. The hearing officer ruled that Cantrell's sex conviction was a conviction involving "moral turpitude" and Cantrell's EMT license was revoked. The hearing officer tried to give Cantrell a 90 day suspension of his license but the full board revoked his license permanently.
On May 17, 2006 Cantrell went in to Scioto County Common Pleas Court seeking a reversal of the EMS Board decision. It is unclear at this point which judge handled the case. Unbelievably, the judge presiding over this case ruled that having sex with an inmate in custody did not reach the level of "moral turpitude" and ordered Cantrell to be reinstated as an EMT putting the public at risk with a sex offender possibly arriving on the scene of an emergency call.
The Ohio 4th District Court of Appeals disagreed with the judge. On January 5, 2007 the 4th District Court of Appeals issued an order reversing this crazy decision by one of the Scioto County Common Pleas Court Judges. The court of appeals justices cited that while Cantrell's sex with the woman may have been consensual, it put the Scioto County Sheriff and the judicial system in a bad public perception. The justices were not convinced that Cantrell didn't use his position as the jailer of the woman to get sex with her.
Why would local judges consider giving a license to such an individual as this former Scioto County Deputy? This man violated the public's trust as a law enforcement officer. Why would he be given another chance with the public trust? That should never have been an option. Did Cantrell have something on the judge that heard his case? Something smells in this case! Cantrell had free reign of the jail while incarcerated and then was being helped to obtain a high paying job! In fact, his criminal record is no longer in the judicial files. Did the judges expunge this record as was done with Sheriff Marti Donini's criminal record? Judge Harcha illegally sealed up Donini's criminal past to make Donini eligible to run for Scioto County Sheriff. It seems like the same thing is happening with Billy Cantrell. We will find out what judge sealed up Cantrell's record and publish it sometime next week.
More on this story later!
John Welton (DD)
