Ohio House Passes Reagan Tokes and Patrick Heringer Act

COLUMBUS—State Representative Cindy Abrams (R-Harrison) is pleased to announce that the Ohio House of Representatives today passed the Reagan Tokes and Patrick Heringer Act, legislation to protect Ohioans from violent offenders on post release control. 

House Bill 667 is named in honor of Reagan Tokes and Patrick Heringer, both of whom were tragically murdered by offenders on post release control, exposing serious gaps in the current system. Post release control is a period of supervision following an individual’s release from prison, intended to support a safe transition back into the community.

“This legislation will save lives,” said Abrams. “Without public safety, nothing else matters. I want to thank Lisa Tokes and Sarah Heringer for entrusting me with their loved ones’ stories and for their work to turn tragedy into meaningful action that will make Ohio safer.”

Key provisions of the bill include: 

• Gives judges increased discretion to send repeat or problem offenders to prison;
• Requires warrants for tier one offenses or detention violations issued by any law enforcement agency, including the Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections (DRC), to be entered into the Law Enforcement Automated Data System (LEADS) and the appropriate National Crime Information Center (NCIC) database within 48 hours;
• Requires notification to the 9-1-1 call center within 48 hours of a warrant being issued; and
• Requires the DRC to contract with a single vendor for continuous GPS monitoring of offenders in real-time where the system can specify and monitor the restrictions of an offender to include inclusionary and exclusionary zones, curfew times, and a crime scene correlation program.
   

House Bill 667 now moves to the Ohio Senate for further consideration.