Former Dayton-area lawmaker Luckie to stay in prison, judge rules

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Our Columbus Bureau reporter Laura Bischoff has been covering the Clayton Luckie case since the news broke in August 2012. Get the latest political news from Laura and our team on Twitter at @Ohio_Politics

Former state representative Clayton Luckie’s request for early prison release was denied Tuesday for the second time by Franklin County Common Pleas Court Judge Colleen O’Donnell.

“Release at this time would demean the seriousness of the offenses,” O’Donnell wrote.

Luckie, 51, is serving a three year prison sentence at Southeastern Correctional Institution near Lancaster for money laundering, election falsification and theft.

He entered prison in March 2013 after pleading guilty to charges that he misused $130,000 from his campaign account between 2006 and 2012 while serving in the Ohio House. Investigators documented that the Dayton Democrat used his campaign account to write $9,825 in checks to himself, make cash withdrawals totaling $19,000 and conduct 800 debit card transactions totaling almost $40,000.

O’Donnell denied Luckie’s early release request in 2014 as well.