Ruggles Township trustee faces prostitution charge after sting operation

ASHLAND — A longtime Ruggles Township trustee was among the two Ashland County men charged with engaging in prostitution during a recent undercover sting operation.

Scott C. Stolcals, 41, has been a township trustee since at least 2013, according to Ashland County Board of Elections records. He’s been re-elected to office three times since and is slated to begin his fourth term in January.

Stolcals faces a first-degree misdemeanor of engaging in prostitution. His case is pending in Ashland Municipal Court, where he’ll appear for an arraignment on Jan. 9.

Though he and the five others were booked in Ashland County Jail on Dec. 5, they each were released after posting a $554 bond, according to a jail clerk.

The charge stems from a Dec. 5 sting operation during which agents from the Huron, Erie, Ashland and Lorain (H.E.A.L) Human Trafficking Task Force arrested six men.

Two of them (Steven Shilliday, 28, and Stolcals) have Ashland County residences. 

Stolcals did not return a phone call seeking comment.

What happens to Stolcals’ elected seat?

Ashland County First Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Michael Donatini said the state legislature does not address political status of an elected official charged with a misdemeanor.

“With a misdemeanor, there is no impact on public office. Generally, the person would have to be charged with a felony (for any political ramifications to take effect),” Donatini said, pointing to section 3.16 of the Ohio Revised Code.

Ruggles Township Trustee Scott Ashton said he’s served alongside Stolcals for four years. When asked how this case might impact Stolcals’ status, he said he didn’t know. But he added that Stolcals attended Ruggles’ most recent township meeting. 

“Yeah, he was there,” Ashton said.

That meeting was held Monday evening, just a few days after his arrest. Ashton said Stolcals did not bring up the case and didn’t provide a statement.

Asked if he was shocked to learn about the pending charge against Stolcals, Ashton asked a rhetorical question.

“I mean, does anybody ever expect this to come out of a small town?” he said. “We’ll just have to sit back and watch — everybody’s entitled to due process.”

Ruggles Township Trustee Eric Bohland, when reached by phone, declined to comment. He hung up before a reporter could ask additional questions. 

Sting happened at a hotel

Ashland County Sheriff Kurt Schneider said he didn’t know Stolcals’ political status as a township trustee before the sting. But that doesn’t matter, he said.

“We don’t care who they are,” Schneider said. “I don’t care what political status you have, what financial status you have, we don’t care about any of that. You violate the law, you’re going to jail.”

He said the sting happened at “one of the local hotels.” He declined to identify which hotel in order to protect the integrity of future investigations. 

Schneider also declined to identify the lone victim authorities referred to in a press release about the operation. Authorities said one person was identified during the sting as a potential victim “and was provided social services.”

 Instead, he spoke in generalities about victims of human trafficking. 

“There are underlying things going on, and essentially you have people taking advantage of the vulnerable who don’t have income, or who don’t have a place to live or maybe they’re reliant on narcotics,” Schneider said. 

“I don’t think anybody who is engaging in prostitution, who is providing the service, so to speak, was in high school or graduating high school and was wondering what to do with their life and thinking that prostitution was the greatest opportunity to get into,” the sheriff said.

To report suspected human trafficking in Ohio:

• Call (844) END-OHHT.
• Text “ENDOHHT” to 847411.
• Download the END OHHT app on Apple or Android devices.
• Submit information online at ohioattorneygeneral.gov/ENDOHHT.