TIFFIN, Ohio — The superintendent of the Seneca County Opportunity Center announced his retirement, effective immediately, during the county Board of Developmental Disabilities meeting Wednesday, TiffinOhio.net has learned — six days after he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor theft charge.
Lewis Hurst, 60, of Republic, informed the board of his retirement during the meeting. Erin Simmons, president of the Seneca County Board of Developmental Disabilities, confirmed the retirement in an email to TiffinOhio.net, saying Hurst “is no longer an employee with the Seneca County Board of Developmental Disabilities.” Simmons said the board “is following all Ohio Revised Code pertaining to this situation” and that Natasha Nichols continues to serve as interim superintendent.
The retirement follows Hurst’s guilty plea July 2 in Sandusky Municipal Court to one count of theft, a first-degree misdemeanor, reduced from the fifth-degree felony originally filed, according to court records. The court sentenced him to 30 days in jail and suspended the entire term, imposed a $500 fine with $250 suspended, and assessed $140 in court costs. Hurst was ordered to pay $857.99 in restitution; court records show a check for that amount was issued to Best Buy.
The charge stemmed from a January 24 incident. According to a Perkins Township Police Department investigation report obtained by TiffinOhio.net, a store manager reported inventory discrepancies on a specific computer model, and the store identified a credit-card transaction tied to Hurst. Perkins Township Police Officer Michael Todhunter wrote that surveillance footage showed a man placing a price sticker from a $499 computer onto the box of a $1,299 HP Omen R5 8500F computer before buying it at the lower price. Investigators used license-plate camera data and a Bureau of Motor Vehicles photo to identify Hurst, the report states.
The Seneca County Board of Developmental Disabilities placed Hurst on paid administrative leave following a special meeting Saturday, March 28. The board described the action as a “private personnel issue” that is “not otherwise related to Mr. Hurst’s leadership,” according to a statement reported by the Advertiser-Tribune, and named Natasha Nichols, its director of service and support administration, interim superintendent.
Hurst continued to appear publicly as superintendent after the case was filed. On March 10 — more than a month after the warrant issued — he told the Seneca County Commissioners the district was in “good financial shape,” according to the Advertiser-Tribune.
The Seneca County Opportunity Center, which operates under the county Board of Developmental Disabilities, provides services and supports for people with developmental disabilities and is funded in part by local taxpayers.
