Tuesday, January 26, 1999
Custody war brings sea of legal paper
Man charged with harassment
BY SHEILA McLAUGHLIN
The Cincinnati Enquirer
LEBANON — An Oregonia man who refuses to recognize the court system has been tossed into the middle of it for allegedly harassing the prosecutor with a flurry of papers demanding $5 million.
Larry Roten, who has been fighting the county for nearly a year for custody of his aging father, faces charges of intimidation and using a “sham legal process.” That is a two-year-old state law that is aimed at stopping common-law suits by anti-government activists.
Special Prosecutor Mark Piepmeier of Hamilton County said Larry Roten, who runs Hand-to-Hand Combat Ministries, has accused county officials of kidnapping his father. He has flooded the Warren County courts with paperwork seeking judgments of $5 million.
He has threatened to place liens against the properties of several county officials, including Warren County Prosecutor Tim Oliver, Mr. Piepmeier said.
Mr. Piepmeier said the case went to the grand jury after Mr. Oliver decided he had had enough. The indictment pertains to papers Mr. Roten filed against the prosecutor in April and December, Mr. Piepmeier said.
“The purpose of this statute is to keep people from using the court system to basically intimidate someone. He is charged with intimidating the Warren County prosecutor,” Mr. Piepmeier said.
The “sham” law was enacted in May 1996, to reduce common-law activity, making it illegal to file liens based on false documents. A lien is a claim against property as security for an unpaid debt.
Mr. Roten's fight with the county began last February, when a probate judge rescinded his guardianship and made his 90-year-old father, Ambrose Roten, a ward of the state.
The elder Mr. Roten was placed in a nursing home after he was found wandering the streets without a coat in winter.
A grand jury indicted his son on the charges Friday, and the case was turned over to a special prosecutor because of Mr. Oliver's involvement.
Mr. Roten will be cited to court on the charges.
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