by Jeff Saunders
Reporter
Northfield Center -- A township man is among eight defendants indicted by a Cuyahoga County grand jury Nov. 10 on multiple felony charges in connection with alleged corruption in the Ohio Department of Transportation's District 12 office in Garfield Heights.
According to Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas records, the grand jury indicted Charter Drive resident Kevin M. Horrigan, 42, a former senior purchasing officer with ODOT, on seven felony counts, including two counts of third-degree felony bribery, one count of theft in office, one count of unlawful interest in a public contract and three counts of attempted tampering with records.
Horrigan did not return phone calls and an attorney representing him could not be identified by press time.
Maria Russo, a spokesperson for the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office, said Horrigan is free without bond, which is expected to be set at his Nov. 25 arraignment.
In October 2008, the Ohio Inspector General's Office released a report of an ongoing investigation that alleged several ODOT District 12 employees, including Horrigan, had engaged in a pattern of corruption. The report specifically alleged that Horrigan illegally accepted gifts from vendors and that his company, Landmark Contractor Services Inc., was paid tens of thousands of dollars for contracting work for ODOT.
Horrigan, who resigned earlier in 2008, told the News Leader in October of that year that he had done nothing wrong.
Two other former District 12 employees and five ODOT vendors were also indicted in the case Nov. 10.
According to Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Bill Mason, the primary target of the ODOT corruption case -- Dennis L. Kratochvil, 65, of Chagrin Falls -- was indicted on one count of racketeering, five counts of bribery, one count of theft in office, three counts of obstructing justice and 16 counts of tampering with records.
He was District 12's facilities manager.
District 12 equipment superintendent Terrence M. Kosmata, 56, of Garfield Heights was indicted on one count each of bribery, attempted bribery and theft in office, F4.
The five vendors were indicted on similar charges.
They are Kent L. Winter, 54, of Willoughby, owner of Winter Equipment, Co.; Robert E. Jones, Jr., 48, of Painesville, owner of Lake Truck Sales & Services Inc., Jones Equipment Co. and principle for JEL Idealease; James Patrick Hartory, II, 38, of Chardon, CEO of Traditional Building Systems, Knight Mechanical Inc. and All-Controls Corp. in Mentor; Dennis B. Kratochvil, 46, of Chesterland, owner of DeBord Plumbing and Heating Co. in Chardon; and Philip C. Marek, 41, president of Nozzle New Inc. and owner of Marek Land Co. in Solon.
Three former ODOT officials and six vendors previously were charged and sentenced for their roles in the case.
E-mail: jsaunders@recordpub.com
Phone: 330-688-0088 ext. 3169