Lorrain R. Croy
Magistrate

Lorrain R. (Chafin) grew up in Lebanon, Virginia, graduating from Lebanon High School in 1986.  Lorrain attended East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, TN in 1990 with a BS degree in English and minor in Criminal Justice.  Lorrain attended Thomas M. Cooley Law School in Lansing, MI where she received her Juris Doctor in 1994.  Lorrain took and passed the bar exam in 1995.  During her time in Law School, Lorrain worked as a law clerk in the law firm of Hay & O’Rourke.

Lorrain began her work in public service as an assistant city prosecuting attorney in Fremont, Ohio in May 1995.  In January 1996, Lorrain moved to the Sandusky County Prosecuting Attorney’s office where she worked until August 2000.  Lorrain began working in the Ottawa County Prosecutor’s office as the Municipal Court prosecutor in August 2000.  In 2002 Lorrain began prosecuting all felony offenses in Ottawa County in the Ottawa County Court of Common Pleas.  During her tenure at the Ottawa County Prosecuting Attorney’s office, Lorrain tried numerous felony cases ranging from felony driving under the influence and felony domestic violence to homicide and rape.  She successfully prosecuted the only felony homicide trial in Ottawa County to be the subject of a Court TV production.

Lorrain taught Criminal Procedure at Terra Community College and she has been involved in the training of local law enforcement officers.

Lorrain has worked with the Victim Advocates of Sandusky and Ottawa Counties in evaluating grounds for temporary and civil protection orders.
 
Lorrain is a member of the Ottawa County Bar Association where she served as President for two consecutive terms, 2006 and 2007.  She organized multiple seminars for the attorneys in the Bar Association.  Lorrain has presided as a judge for the Mock Trial competitions in Ottawa County.  She has been involved in organizing Law Day activities and competitions, both in Sandusky and Ottawa Counties.  Lorrain is a former member of the Ottawa County Law Library Board.  She is a member of the Ottawa County Bar Association, the Ohio Bar Association and the Ohio Prosecuting Attorney’s Association.  Lorrain Croy served as Treasurer for Kathleen Giesler’s campaign for re-election in 2008.

Lorrain resides in Oak Harbor with her husband and 4 children.

Wendy A. Wood
Magistrate

Born:  Columbus, Ohio 1954

Education
Stephens College, Columbia, Missouri, 1974, A.A.
Ohio Wesleyan University, Delaware, Ohio, 1976, B.A.
Ohio Northern University, Ada, Ohio, 1981, J.D.

1981-1982:  Ottawa County Prosecutor's Office, Assistant Prosecutor
1982-2000:  Private Law Practice, Port Clinton, Ohio
1987-2000:  Acting Judge, Ottawa County Municipal Court
2004-Present:  Part-time Magistrate, Ottawa County Common Pleas Court and Ottawa County Juvenile Court

Memberships
Ottawa County Bar Association, 1981-present (1982&1999, President)
Ohio State Bar Association, 1981-present
Ida Rupp Public Library Board of Trustees, 1986-1993
Port Clinton Junior Women's Club, 1982-1990
Port Clinton Chamber of Commerce Board, 1989-1993
Erie-Ottawa Children's Services Board, 1989-1991
Ottawa County Women's Bar Association, 2001-present
Delta Delta Delta Sorority, 1974-present

Hobbies:  Reading, golf, walking, live theatre

John Py
Court Mediator

For a variety of reasons, I retired from the active practice of law on June 30, 1999 after 26 years. During such period of time, I was engaged principally in the defense of personal injury litigation which allowed me to practice in various common pleas courts and courts of appeals as well as the Supreme Court of Ohio. Following a few months of retirement, I applied for and was retained on October 1, 1999 as the initial in-house mediator for the common pleas courts of the counties of Ottawa, Huron, Sandusky and Seneca.

As the in-house mediator, pending civil litigation involving varied causes of action are referred to me for mediation. An overwhelming number of the mediations conducted to date have resulted in a full settlement and dismissal of the case. Such results are accomplished usually months in advance of the trial date and at considerable savings of both time and money for the litigants, their counsel and insurers, if any, and the court.

Having now participated in both the adversarial and mediation processes of resolving civil disputes, I am firmly convinced that mediation is the preferable method for resolving such conflicts.

Should you wish for any civil litigation in which you are involved to be referred for mediation I suggest you request to the court that such a referral be made.

ctmediator@neo.rr.com

Karen J. Slessman
Court Administrator

My work experience started in banking for 15 years.  During that time I took Law in Banking classes and worked toward an Associate Degree in Computer Science.  I started working for Ottawa County in 1995 in the Adult Probation Department.  In 2003, I was assigned as Common Pleas Court Administrator.

As Court Administrator, my main responsibility is case management.  I also prepare the court's annual budget, serve as assignment clerk for civil and criminal cases, responsible for payment of bills, preparation of payroll and in charge of notary tests. I also serve as Jury Commissioner.

kslessman@co.ottawa.oh.us

Nancy Chaney
Assignment Clerk

I am a graduate of Genoa High School and The University of Toledo.

Since graduating from college, I have worked as an elementary teacher for the Lancaster, Ohio, City Schools, as a co-owner/bookkeeper for a family owned and operated business, as a customer service representative for the former Mid American National Bank, and as a Deputy Clerk for both the Wood County and the Ottawa County Clerk of Courts. I became an Assignment Clerk for the Ottawa County Court of Common Pleas in May of 2004.

For the Court, I schedule the daily Court appearances for the Civil cases and send notices to the attorneys and the parties involved and refer and schedule Civil cases for Mediation when requested.  I prepare the Judge’s daily Court docket and prepare the files for these hearings and appearances, I prepare Court documents for the Judge, answer the phones and direct the calls accordingly, initiate telephone conferences, distribute the daily mail that is received by the Court, administer Notary tests to first-time Notary applicants and send the required paperwork to the state for new Notary applicants as well as renewal applications and cover for Criminal and Domestic scheduling when needed.  My position is to assist the Judge and the Court Administrator with the duties they assign me to do. 

nchaney@co.ottawa.oh.us          

Jane Held
Court Reporter

As a Registered Professional Reporter, my primary role is to create a voice-to-text translation of court proceedings via realtime hook-ups to Judge Winters and Staff Attorney Munoz from my Stenotype machine to their laptop computers.  Deaf or hard-of-hearing jurors and litigants can share my realtime screen. I prepare verbatim transcripts, when ordered, and can e-mail transcripts, provide condensed versions, all-word indexes and ASCII disks to ensure the end user receives an accurate, fast and reliable record.

A life-long resident of Ottawa County, I graduated from Clark Technical College with an Associate's Degree in Court/Conference Reporting Technology and a Bachelor of Science degree from Heidelberg College.  I served on the Supreme Court of Ohio Judicial College's Court Personnel Education and Training Committee for over ten years, am an active member of the National and State Court Reporters Associations and the Steno CAT Users Network.

jheld@co.ottawa.oh.us

Chas Munoz
Staff Attorney

WORK EXPERIENCE:
Deaf Resource Center, Inc., Toledo, Ohio. Executive Director, 1999 - 2004.
Blaugrund, Herbert & Martin, Inc., Dublin, Ohio. Part-Time Associate, 2000 - 2001.
The Ability Center of Greater Toledo, Sylvania, Ohio. Coordinator, Deaf Services Network, 1997 - 1998.
Miller & Chevalier, Chartered, Washington, D.C. Legal Project Assistant, Summer 1994, 1992, and 1991.
Texas School for the Deaf, Austin, Texas. Houseparent II. 1992 - 1993.
Travis County District Attorney, Austin, Texas. Clerk IV (Part-Time). 1992 - 1993.

EDUCATION:
The University of Toledo, College of Law: Toledo, Ohio. J.D. 1996. Dean's List, Fall Semester, 1995.  Independent Study: "An Analysis of Board of Education v. Rowley and its Impact Upon Disabled Children."

The College of Wooster: Wooster, Ohio. B.A. 1992. Majored in Psychology. Pursued interest in legal field through Senor Independent Study: "Factors That Influence The Jury Decision Making Process: Can Jurors Disregard Inadmissible Evidence?" and Junior Independent Study: "What Factors Predict Child Abuse?"

Clinical Experience:
City of Toledo Public Defender's Office, Toledo, Ohio. Student Intern (Independent Research Project).
City of Toledo Prosecutor's Office, Toledo, Ohio. Criminal Law Practice Program. Student Intern.
National Center for Law and Deafness, Legal Clinic, Gallaudet University, Washington, D.C. Volunteer Intern. 05/1995 - 08/1995.

Membership:
Member of the Ohio Bar and the District of Columbia Bar. Member of the American Bar Association (ABA).

cmunoz@co.ottawa.oh.us

Kelly Lilie
Assignment Clerk Domestic Relations

Background & Education

Graduate of Port Clinton High School.  I attended several years of college.
Prior to coming to work for Ottawa County, I worked for the Huntington National Bank for 19 ½ years.  I held several different positions during my employment at the Bank and gained lots of valuable knowledge.  I earned two diplomas from the American Institute of Banking, one in General banking and the other in Commercial lending. I came to work for Ottawa County in August 2000, starting in the Clerk of Courts as a deputy clerk. I began working for the Common Pleas Court in Feb. 2007, as the Assignment Clerk for Domestic Relations.

Kelly is responsible for scheduling court hearings and sending notices to attorneys and parties.  Other responsibilities include telephone communications, conference calls, dictation, preparing and distributing court documents and preparing required reporting.  I also prepare the Magistrate’s calendar and organize the files for each day’s court docket.

klilie@co.ottawa.oh.us

Walter J. Bahnsen, Jr.
Probation Officer

Mr. Bahnsen serves as Chief Probation Officer and Balliff of Common Pleas Court. He has been employed by the Court since October of 2001. He was formerly employed by the Port Clinton Police Department. He is a graduate of Sandusky High School and Bowling Green State University. He is a graduate of the F.B.I. Leadership Academy, the Police Executive Leadership College, and holds the designation of Certified Law Enforcement Executive.

wbahnsen@co.ottawa.oh.us

Jean Deis
Probation Secretary

Mrs. Deis has been the probation secretary since January, 2003.  She is a graduate of Port Clinton High School and a life long resident of Port Clinton.  She is married and they have one daughter.

Mrs. Deis started working in the legal profession in 1970 as a legal secretary for Moon and Moon, and in 1971 for Attorney Larry Noblitt when he joined the firm of Moon, Moon and Noblitt.  After 17 years, she started new employment with Cooper, Straub, Walinski and Cramer in Toledo, Ohio as a paralegal in the areas of law in real estate, probate and adoptions for 6 years before coming back to Port Clinton as the Clerk of the Ottawa County Municipal Court.  In April of 1996, she became a Clerical Specialist with the Ottawa County Department of Job and Family Services and worked part-time for the law firm of Tone, Grubbe, McGory and Vermeeren in Sandusky, Ohio, and worked in both capacities until being hired as the Adult Probation Secretary.

jdeis@co.ottawa.oh.us

Deputy Brian C. Porter

Dep. Porter was born and raised in the Akron, Ohio area. Dep. Porter graduated from Cuyahoga Falls High School in 1996, and then from the University of Akron with an Associate’s Degree in Criminal Justice in 1999. 

Dep. Porter enrolled in the Summit County Sheriff’s Office Basic Peace Officer and Basic Corrections Officer Academies in the fall of 1999, and graduated in July of 2000.

Dep. Porter worked for the Summit County Sheriff’s Office as a Reserve Deputy before being hired full-time at the Marblehead (Ohio) Police Department where he worked for the summer of 2001.

In January of 2002 Dep. Porter was hired as a Corrections Deputy for the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office. Dep. Porter worked in the Correctional Facilities before being assigned as the first full-time Courthouse Security Deputy in July of 2006. Dep. Porter is a member of the Sheriff’s Office Honor Guard, and a former member of the Underwater Recovery Team.

In his off time Dep. Porter enjoys studying all aspects of American History, and is a re-enactor of both the American Civil War and the American involvement in World War II.

Judy A. Flood
Probation Officer

Education:

1977 Seneca East High School Graduate
1996 Bachelor of Arts, Interdisciplinary Studies, Magna Cum Laude, University of Toledo
2000 Juris Doctor, Cum Laude, University of Toledo

Work Experience:

1. Erie County Juvenile Detention Facility, Group Leader
2. Ottawa County Juvenile Court, Probation Officer
3. U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service, Youth Conservation Corps Supervisor
4. Adjunct Faculty, University of Toledo, Paralegal Studies

2002-2008 Adjunct Faculty, Owens Community College, Developmental Education         
2000-Present Private Practice of Law: 318 Madison Street, Port Clinton, Ohio

Primary Areas of Practice: Juvenile, Probate, Real Estate, Business Formation, and Bankruptcy

Previous Activities: Clerk-Treasurer, Salem Oak Harbor Union Cemetery; Coach, University of Toledo Mock Trial Team

Memberships: Ottawa County Bar Association, Ohio State Bar Association, Toledo Law Association,

William J. Hubans
Part time Probation Officer

Mr. Hubans started with the Probation Department in July of 2009.  Prior to starting with the Probation Department Mr. Hubans had worked as an Administrator in the Oak Harbor School System.
         
Mr. Hubans received his Masters Degree in Educational Administration in 1976 from the University of Toledo.  Mr. Hubans has also worked with the Nationwide Team Focus Foundation as a motivational speaker and camp director.  Team Focus is a foundation for boys without fathers.

I Graduated from Port Clinton High School in 1980 then I received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Bowling Green State University in 1984 and a Juris Doctor Degree from the University of Toledo in 1987.  Since then I have practiced law in the municipal, common pleas and appellate courts primarily in Wood and Ottawa Counties for a small firm, a public defender’s office and as a sole practitioner.  I served as the first magistrate of the Put-in-Bay Mayor’s Court from 1999 to 2009.

I completed mediation training in 2005 and thereafter conducted mediation sessions in family law cases through Court sponsored programs and in my private practice.  In February 2009 I closed my private practice and accepted the position of family law mediator for the Common Pleas Courts of Ottawa and Sandusky Counties.  That program has since been expanded to include foreclosure mediation.

In conducting mediation sessions I act as a neutral third party who guides the discussion and assists the parties in seeking a resolution of their dispute.  It is an effective means of conflict resolution that can save the parties the aggravation, time and costs associated with traditional litigation.