On Monday, June 16, 2025, Charles L. Tingler filed a motion in the Ohio Supreme Court requesting permission to pursue writs of mandamus, prohibition, and habeas corpus against Ottawa County Common Pleas Court Judge Reeve W. Kelsey and Chief Probation Officer Andrea Cochran. Tingler, acting as a pro se litigant, seeks to address alleged constitutional violations stemming from his community control supervision.
Tingler’s motion follows his designation as a vexatious litigator in March 2023, which requires court approval for new legal filings. He argues that his case raises significant issues, including First Amendment violations tied to his Catholic faith, and is supported by Chief Justice Sharon L. Kennedy’s acknowledgment that prior vexatious litigator designations were unconstitutional.
In March 2022, Tingler entered an Alford plea to a third-degree felony retaliation charge in Ottawa County, receiving two years of non-reporting community control under Judge Bruce Winters. The terms, which expired in March 2024, prohibited contact with the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office unless necessary. In January 2024, Probation Officer Brian Sloan alleged Tingler violated these terms by making multiple unauthorized contacts with the sheriff’s office. A hearing, delayed until May 2024, resulted in Tingler stipulating to a three-year extension of community control with a condition barring contact with public officials or offices, except in emergencies. As of March 2025, this extension lacks a journalized court order, prompting Tingler’s claim of unlawful supervision.
Tingler’s motion highlights conflicts of interest, noting Judge Winters’ prior recusal due to being a victim in Tingler’s earlier cases, yet signing his community control conditions. He also points to Sloan’s dual role as a probation officer and sheriff’s deputy, and Cochran’s past as a deputy, suggesting bias. Tingler further contends that Sheriff Stephen Levorchick, an alleged victim in his underlying case, influences probation oversight.
The motion asserts that the community control condition violates Tingler’s First Amendment rights to free speech, petition, and religious practice, as well as Fourteenth Amendment due process and equal protection rights. Tingler, a practicing Catholic, cites his religious duty under the Catechism of the Catholic Church to hold officials accountable, which he claims the condition restricts. He also alleges retaliatory supervision due to his investigative journalism targeting Ottawa County officials.
Tingler seeks a writ of mandamus to compel Judge Kelsey to issue a final order, a writ of prohibition to halt further proceedings, and a writ of habeas corpus to end his supervision.
A copy of the original filing can be found here.
