County Prosecutor, Chief of Staff charged with intimidation, other felonies

Lorain County Prosecutor J.D. Tomlinson and his Chief of Staff Jim Burge both have been charged with multiple felonies for allegedly intimidating a witness in an existing investigation. Tomlinson and Burge both were charged Tuesday with felony intimidation and tampering with evidence, and Tomlinson also was charged with attempted bribery, another felony. The charges were filed in Elyria Municipal Court by the Lorain County Sheriff's Office. The charges came after Capt. Robert Vansant of the Sheriff's Office filed a complaint with visiting Judge Patrick Carroll, who found probable cause to charge Tomlinson and Burge. A court docket shows that Tomlinson and Burge are set to appear before Carroll on Thursday morning in Elyria Municipal Court. An affidavit included with the charges alleges that between Aug. 5 and 29, 2024, Burge and Tomlinson attempted to convince Tomlinson's former girlfriend and employee Jennifer Battistelli to sign false statements about her relationship with the prosecutor. Vansant writes in the affidavit that Battistelli is a "key witness" in a joint investigation by the Sheriff's Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigations and the state Auditor's Office into the the Prosecutor's Office, including an Oct. 17, 2023, settlement that paid Battistelli $100,000 after she resigned from the Prosecutor's Office. That settlement came after Battistelli prepared a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission complaint about her treatment in the office by Tomlinson. The charges filed Tuesday accuse Tomlinson and Burge of attempting to undermine that joint investigation by repeatedly attempting to convince Battistelli to "take back" her claims made in that EEOC complaint. Those claims include an allegation that Tomlinson grabbed, pushed and shook Battistelli during an argument in his office in August 2023. According to the affidavit, the original complaint which led to the charges was made to the Sheriff's Office by attorney Kenneth Lieux, who represents Battistelli. Vansant said he attempted to serve Burge and Tomlinson with the charges at their offices at the Lorain County Justice Center but they had already left for the day. He said he will serve them at the office "first thing in the morning." This is a developing story, check back for more updates.