Creech took his first roll call last week. He posted a video clip of his Public Safety Committee roll call to his Facebook account with the caption: “Back where I belong.”
“It’s great to be back on committees,” Creech said in a statement to this outlet. “Because of what happened I’m now stronger, wiser and more committed than ever. To those who believed, prayed, and stood firm with me, thank you. We did this together.”
In May 2025, the Dayton Daily News reported that Creech was a suspect in a state criminal investigation carried out by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation. It was alleged that Creech had engaged in behavior with a female minor that state investigators believed could have risen to a criminal charge of gross sexual misconduct.
Creech denied allegations of wrongdoing and the case was eventually closed without a charge. Clark County Prosecutor Daniel Driscoll, a Republican asked to review the state’s investigation for possible charges, concluded the case with the following memo:
“After a full review I find that (Creech’s) behavior during the time of the investigation was concerning and suspicious. However, the evidence falls short of the threshold needed for prosecution. I have spoken with the investigator in this case and believe he has pursued all leads to an end. I find the statements of (the victim) to be persuasive but find no independent evidence to support their claims. At this point I consider the case closed.”
On Wednesday, Speaker Huffman told reporters that he had originally removed Creech from committees because, back in the spring of 2025, he expected the case to loom large over Creech.
“Last April, when this was all presented to me, it appeared that there was going to be either some additional criminal action, civil action, or some action taken regarding this either by local or state authorities,” Huffman said. “And it was my determination ... that I didn’t think, with those kinds of legal actions happening, that he could operate effectively as a state representative.”
“None of that came to bear,” Huffman continued, adding that, once the dust settled, it seemed as though the allegations against Creech either “weren’t true” or “it wasn’t clear if they were true.”
“Here we are 10 months later. He’s been elected by the folks from his district to serve. He has expertise in those various committees; that’s why he was appointed,” Huffman concluded.
Creech, now serving his third consecutive term in the Ohio House, had originally launched a bid for state Senate around the time the criminal investigation became public. He ended up suspending that campaign earlier this year, instead opting to run for a fourth and final term in the Ohio House.
In this May’s primary election, he’ll face Republican J. Todd Smith, a Farmersville pastor who served in the House starting in 2018 until he was ousted by Creech in 2020. Smith did not return a request for comment for this article.
Creech’s House district includes all of Preble County and parts of Montgomery and Butler counties.
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Avery Kreemer can be reached at 614-981-1422, on X, via email, or you can drop him a comment/tip with the survey below.
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