DEAR EDITOR:

Probate Court candidate Shelly Pratt and her campaign operatives have been circulating and publishing misleading hit pieces against her opponent, Judge Tom Campbell. Pratt is shamelessly trying to exploit a man’s tragic death to advance her political career and to distract the public from her inexperience and general ignorance of probate law and how probate courts operate.

A good example of Pratt’s inexperience and ignorance of probate law is her proposal to establish a “hot line” at the Probate Court where people can report expected elder abuse directly to the court.

While elder abuse is a serious issue, Pratt’s proposal demonstrates a fundamental misunderstanding of the law and Probate Court’s role in these cases.

Pratt is apparently unaware of the fact that such a “hot line” already exists.

Under the Ohio Revised Code and the Ohio Administrative Code, the Trumbull County Adult Protective Services (APS) operates within the Trumbull County Jobs and Family Services Agency and receives allegations of suspected abuse, neglect and exploitation at 330-392-3248.

When it receives credible allegations, APS is charged with investigating those claims to determine if there is a need for protective services. When they find the need for protective services, or they find cause to believe a crime has been committed, they bring them to the appropriate authorities, sometimes to the Probate Court and sometimes to criminal authorities and criminal courts. In fact, as an attorney, if the probate judge has reason to believe that a senior is being abused, neglected or exploited, the probate judge must report that situation to APS.

Until APS determines the need for protective services or other law enforcement agencies determine there is cause to believe a crime has been committed, it is inappropriate for either the Probate Court, or any court to be involved in the investigation of the allegations. The courts, including the Probate Court, as the ultimate unbiased triers of facts, cannot also be the investigators and proponents of prosecuting these charges. As a former prosecutor, you would think Pratt would understand this basic concept of the courts and American justice.

Pratt’s proposal to ignore Adult Protective Services and establish a Probate Court

“hotline” not only demonstrates misunderstanding of the law and how Probate Courts operate, but Pratt is also misinforming the public in how to properly report suspected abuse, neglect and exploitation — and perhaps hampering the appropriate disposition of those cases.

Pratt’s vacuous claims of “protecting our seniors” are nothing more than empty slogans trying to mask her ignorance of how Probate Court actually works and her complete lack of any experience in probate matters.

Can Trumbull County really afford to put another unqualified and inexperienced person in charge of another public office?

DANIEL LETSON, ESQ.

Warren