FREMONT, Ohio — Incumbent Sandusky County Common Pleas Judge Jeremiah Ray decisively defeated Sandusky County Prosecutor Beth Tischler in Tuesday’s Republican primary, holding the General Division bench in a contest that pitted a sitting judge against his county’s top prosecutor.

Ray finished with 4,338 votes (58.99%) to Tischler’s 3,016 votes (41.01%), according to unofficial returns from the Sandusky County Board of Elections. A total of 7,354 Republican ballots were cast in the race.

The roughly 18-point margin gave Ray a clear win in a primary that played out against the backdrop of months of TiffinOhio.net reporting on overlapping financial, disciplinary, and political relationships inside the Sandusky County courthouse.

A primary shaped by accountability reporting

The contest unfolded as TiffinOhio.net documented a series of relationships between Tischler and other Sandusky County officeholders. In April, the outlet reported that Tischler had formally abated a $33,300 state audit Finding for Recovery against Probate and Juvenile Court Judge Brad Smith with Ohio Attorney General approval and no repayment required, then publicly backed Smith’s re-election while seeking the bench herself. Smith later endorsed Tischler’s campaign on Facebook.

One week before the primary, Sandusky County Sheriff Christopher Hilton — who serves as Tischler’s campaign treasurer and was one of six county officials who signed the March 2023 letter requesting the abatement — appeared in uniform on Facebook urging voters to support her.

The Ickes connection

The race also intersected with disciplinary proceedings against Sandusky County Common Pleas Judge Jon Ickes, who is facing recommended sanctions before the Ohio Supreme Court in Case No. 2025-1323. According to the amended complaint in that case, it was Ray himself who first brought the underlying allegations to Tischler on April 29, 2024, contacting her in her capacity as the court’s statutory counsel. Tischler then reported the allegations to Sandusky County Administrator Theresa Garcia, helping set the formal accountability process in motion.

Tischler later testified in the Ickes disciplinary hearings, rating him a 9 out of 10. The Board of Professional Conduct’s recommendation in that case remains pending before the Ohio Supreme Court.

In a written response to TiffinOhio.net before the primary, Tischler said: “My decision to run against Judge Ray, and the fractured relationship between Judge Ray and my office have nothing to do with him reporting Judge Ickes to discipline.” She did not elaborate on the nature of the fractured relationship she described.

Ray’s record on the bench

Ray, a Bellevue native, was first elected to the Sandusky County Court of Common Pleas in 2018. He began his legal career as an assistant prosecutor in Erie County before entering private practice and later co-founding the Fremont law firm Mayle, Ray & Mayle. The General Division has jurisdiction over felony criminal matters, civil cases above the statutory threshold, and domestic relations cases.

Tuesday’s results are unofficial pending certification by the Sandusky County Board of Elections.