Ohio State Rep. W. Carlton Weddington resigned from the state legislature and surrendered to investigators Tuesday morning following his indictment on charges of bribery, election falsification and filing a false ethics statement.
Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O'Brien said the three felony bribery charges handed down against state Rep. W. Carlton Weddington, of Columbus, are the first of their kind against a state lawmaker since 1912.
O'Brien and Federal Bureau of Investigation special agent Edward Hanko said the second-term Democrat took bribes of checks, cash and all-expense paid trips to South Beach, Miami, and Napa Valley, Calif., in 2011. O'Brien said the trips were three or four days each.
Weddington faces up to four-and-a-half years in prison if convicted on all counts. His arraignment is scheduled for Friday, O'Brien said.
Weddington, 41, served on the Columbus Board of Education until he was first elected to the Ohio House in 2008. He is the ranking Democratic member of the Local Government Committee, and also sits on the House finance and criminal justice panels.
Yep, the party of the little guy....sure....not buyin' it.
