Ohio House Republicans have selected Lt. Kevin Miller of the Ohio Highway Patrol to replace ousted Ohio House member Larry Householder.
Miller was chosen from of field of 19 applicants that included Householder’s son and Perry County Commissioner Derek Householder. Other applicants included several local county and city officials and political newcomers.
Miller is a lifelong Republican and 22-year veteran of the patrol, most recently working as the agency's legislative liaison. He will be sworn in on Monday. He'll represent the 72nd House District, which includes Coshocton, Licking and Perry Counties.
In July 2020, Householder was arrested and charged with racketeering. He is accused of taking in money from utilities and special interest groups, including FirstEnergy, through a 501(c)4 dark money group for person and political gain. Householder has pled not guilty to the charges
Federal prosecutors say, in exchange, Householder used his power as house speaker to pass HB6, a sweeping energy bill that bailed out two nuclear power plants formerly owned by FirstEnergy.
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