Senate bill supporting Boggs' Reagan Tokes Act passes Ohio House

State Rep. Kristin Boggs (D-Columbus) today announced the House passage of part of the Reagan Tokes Act, Senate Bill  (SB) 201, which will provide indefinite sentencing for felony-one and two-level offenders. The bill is named for Reagan Tokes, a student at The Ohio State University who was brutally kidnapped, raped and killed after leaving work at a Columbus restaurant in 2017. 

“This legislation is the first step to make Ohio safer by ensuring that the most violent offenders who have demonstrated while in prison that they continue to pose a danger to society, are not automatically released back into our neighborhoods,” said Boggs.

The additional provisions of the Reagan Tokes Act addressing post release control measures will be taken up next year.  These criminal justice reforms include requiring the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation of Corrections to adopt caseload standards for parole officers and adopt guidelines for GPS monitoring.

“While Senate Bill 201 passed the House, we know there is still more work to be done," said Boggs. "We will continue to pursue criminal justice reform in the new year to ensure we are doing everything we can to keep Ohioans safe."

On February 8, 2017, Reagan Tokes was abducted and later found in a Grove City, Ohio metro park. She was killed by a convicted sex offender who had over fifty infractions while imprisoned and been released from prison homeless three months prior, while being monitored by a GPS. It was later discovered that in the months leading up to Reagan’s death, he had committed a series of armed robberies.

SB 201 now moves back to the Senate for a final vote before its anticipated signature by Gov. Kasich.