County Recorder Mike Doran charged with misdemeanor sexual imposition

ELYRIA — Lorain County Recorder Michael Doran has been charged with sexual imposition, a misdemeanor, in Elyria Municipal Court. The case and an arrest warrant for Doran were filed on Tuesday after the court found probable cause to charge him. Doran, who was on vacation out of state when The Chronicle-Telegram reached him Wednesday evening for comment, said he was not aware of the charge until the paper called him and declined to comment until he had more information. Elyria Police Chief James Welsh said that detectives had attempted to contact an attorney for Doran to inform him of the charges and schedule a time for Doran to turn himself in. Welsh said that he believed Doran was out of town, which Doran confirmed. Doran told The Chronicle that he does not currently have an attorney. According to court records, the alleged crime occurred on April 25 in Elyria. It did not specify an address, but Doran is a resident of Elyria. Welsh said that a complaint against Doran was filed with the department in mid-May. Detectives investigated the complaint and then turned their findings over to a special prosecutor for review. Elyria Law Director Amanda Deery said that once the case was turned over to her prosecutor's office, it was handed over to a special prosecutor, attorney John Reulbach of Lakewood, for review and to determine if criminal charges were warranted. Reulbach determined that the charge of sexual imposition should be filed, and the court found probable cause to charge Doran. Deery said that she had put in a request to the court to appoint Reulbach as the special prosecutor to see the case through in court. Reulbach was the prosecutor for Avon Lake from 1995 until 2024. Additionally, Deery said that she anticipated Elyria Municipal Judges Gary Bennett and Robert White would request that the Ohio Supreme Court assign a visiting judge to oversee the case. Because the charge is a misdemeanor, it would go through Municipal Court, rather than being transferred to Lorain County Common Pleas Court. Deery and Welsh said they could not release the police report on the incident on Wednesday, because the case is considered open until Doran is arrested. Because the case involves an alleged sexual offense, the alleged victim will not be identified. Under Ohio law, sexual imposition can apply to unwanted or coerced sexual contact. As a third-degree misdemeanor, a conviction for sexual imposition carries a maximum of 60 days in jail and a $500 fine. Those convicted of sexual imposition must register as tier one sex offenders with their local sheriff's office for 15 years. Doran, a Republican, is serving his second term as County Recorder after winning reelection in November. Shortly before Election Day, the Lorain County Democratic Party accused Doran of "deliberately concealing his extensive criminal past from voters" by changing his last name from Fetterman to Doran in 2011. Doran filed a name change request in Lorain County Probate Court in 2011, and the request was approved. In a statement provided to The Chronicle at the time, he focused on the upgrades made to the recorder's office during his tenure Before Doran's name change, he had a 2007 assault conviction in Wyoming and a theft and driving on a suspended license in Washington state the same year, as well as various misdemeanor traffic charges in Oberlin and Elyria municipal courts from 2002 to 2012. In 2023, Doran also faced an allegation from John Gall, a fellow Republican and administrative assistant to Lorain County Commissioner Jeff Riddell. Gall alleged Doran punched him in the head following a parking dispute between the two after Gall and his wife allegedly followed Doran and his wife from the county administration parking garage. Both sides declined to press charges, but Doran's wife, Christina, sought, and was later denied, a civil stalking protection order against Gall in Common Pleas Court. Contact Owen MacMillan at (440) 329-7123 or omacmillan@chroniclet.com. Contact Carissa Woytach at (440) 329-7245 or cwoytach@chroniclet.com.