'I went through hell.' Judge acquits ex-school treasurer, daughter of theft charges
Ronald James, 69, and Jenae James, 44, were acquitted May 13 of all counts during a two-day bench trial before Warren County Common Pleas Judge Timothy Tepe, who dismissed the charges.
The elder James was indicted in October 2024 on theft in office, tampering with records and having an unlawful interest in a public contract. His daughter was also indicted on a single count of theft.
Prosecutors argued that James used his position as treasurer to secure a landscaping contract for a company owned by someone they described as a 'business associate,' for whom James performed accounting services as an independent contractor.
However, the judge saw things differently.
An attorney representing James wrote in a May 12 court filing that James had the authority as treasurer to execute contracts under $25,000. The attorney said James wanted the school board to make the final determination, which it did when it approved the contract in August 2022.
'I heard no evidence that Mr. James exerted any influence over the board that voted independently to approve this contract,' Tepe said in court.
In a scathing ruling dismissing the charges, the judge blasted as non-credible the testimony of former school officials who took the stand as part of the prosecution's case.
Tepe said that former school board president Dr. Jim Byers had 'a personal ax to grind' with the ex-treasurer and directed an investigation into James, who left the district in 2022.
A Wayne Local Schools spokesperson has yet to respond to an email from The Enquirer seeking comment on the judge's ruling in the case.
Jenae James was a third-grade teacher when she was charged with felony theft related to American College Testing money, according to Kevin Hughes, her attorney.
Hughes said the younger James was coordinating ACT exams, a standardized test used for university admissions in the U.S., and was being paid $350 per test for the additional services she provided during the COVID-19 pandemic.
She oversaw 10 tests beginning in July 2020 and the extra money she received was allocated by ACT to pay her. The funds were sent to her through the school, where her father was involved in processing those payments, Hughes said. He added that the superintendent also had to sign off.
The judge also sided with the younger James by dismissing the charge against her, saying 'there was no theft that occurred.'
Hughes said there was never an attempt to hide any of those transactions. 'It was always above board,' he added.
James was placed on administrative leave following her 2024 indictment, and a grievance process is currently underway, though she has so far not been allowed to return to work, Hughes said.
'She loves her students and has been taken out of the classroom,' the attorney said.
The judge's decision to dismiss the charges against the father and daughter was not the result of deliberations, but instead came in response to defense attorneys' request for acquittal after the prosecution ended its case, court filings show.
'The court is certainly in favor of eliminating government waste, but this day-and-a-half has been a waste,' Tepe said of the trial.
For Ronald James, who worked for Wayne Local Schools for 25 years following a decades-long career with General Motors, the judge's ruling comes as a long-awaited vindication.
'It's very disheartening that it occurred,' James told The Enquirer. 'It just seemed like the cards were stacked against me for some reason.'
James said his family has been in Waynesville – a village in Warren County of more than 2,600 residents – for roughly 200 years and that having his name wrongfully tied with alleged crimes in court papers and news coverage was harmful to him and his loved ones.
'I went through hell,' James said.
Still, James looks back fondly at his time with the school district, where he coached youth sports and volunteered to teach personal finance classes.
'It was great to be a servant in Waynesville to kids I love,' he said.
His primary concern now is ensuring that his daughter can go back to teaching, the job that she loves.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Ex-Wayne Local Schools treasurer, daughter acquitted of all charges
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