Former Scioto County Commissioner Bryan Davis is now an inmate in the Ohio prison system, admitted on October 5 and currently held at the Correctional Reception Center in Orient while the state completes intake and classification. He received a 30-month sentence after pleading guilty in July to three felony charges tied to a kickback scheme involving county contracts. ODRC records currently list March 16, 2029, as his expected release date or parole eligibility date.
According to Scioto County Daily News, Davis has not yet received a permanent prison assignment and remains at the Correctional Reception Center.
Davis pleaded guilty to Theft in Office, Receiving Stolen Property, and Filing an Incomplete, False or Fraudulent Tax Return. Visiting Judge D. Dean Evans sentenced him in September to 30 months in prison, the outlet's report noted. ODRC lists the Theft in Office sentence at 2.50 years, or 30 months, and the tax-filing sentence separately at 0.92 years, or roughly 11 months — but those two terms are running concurrently, making the 30-month sentence the controlling one.
Sentence Terms and the Road to Release
Ohio Revised Code Section 2967.193 addresses earned program-participation credit, not jail-time credit. Separately, Ohio Administrative Code rules specify that when multiple stated prison terms run concurrently, an offender is deemed to be serving the longest of those terms.
Davis remains at the reception center during intake and classification, awaiting a permanent prison assignment.
Money, Contracts, and a Company Called The Finder's Network
Davis's charges grew out of an investigation into contracts involving the Southern Ohio Port Authority, Robert Horton and O'Steel Building Systems. Court filings cited by the outlet indicate O'Steel Building Systems paid $67,808.67 to a company called The Finder's Network, which is owned by Davis's wife. Davis acknowledged he had reasonable cause to know that payment was connected to Horton's theft by deception, and he admitted he initially failed to disclose and account for the income.
As part of his sentence, Davis was ordered to repay $67,808.67 to Scioto County along with $512.50 connected to the state audit, must repay salary he received from the county while suspended, and must pay court costs. He is also required to surrender the applicable portion of his public retirement benefits. Per WOUB, Davis is barred from holding public office or positions in the future, and he will face an additional period of supervision after his release.
Davis's sentencing memorandum placed much of the blame for the scheme on Horton, and he had asked the judge to impose five years of community control instead of prison. Prosecutors agreed as part of the plea deal to recommend prison, though they did not specify the length of term they would seek. Judge Evans ultimately chose prison over community control.
Wife's Sentence and the Horton Case Still Pending
Davis's wife, Lorinda Davis, pleaded guilty to one felony count of tampering with evidence and was sentenced last month to 24 months of community control, according to the Highland County Press. Robert Horton, a former Scioto County Economic Development director and Southern Ohio Port Authority director, remains at the center of the related corruption case, with criminal cases against him and his wife still pending in Scioto County Common Pleas Court, WOUB reported.
Horton's case remains pending, according to the same WOUB report. Davis's prison sentence has now begun while the outcome of Horton's case remains undetermined.
