Adam Stone has become a felon.
The former attorney pleaded guilty Monday to third-degree felony telecommunications fraud and fourth-degree felony impersonation of a peace officer or private police officer.
Stone, 41, of Bucyrus, will be sentenced 8:45 a.m. Aug. 26 by Delaware County Common Pleas Judge James P. Schuck, according to Brandi Orsini, the court’s public information officer.
“The max penalty he is facing is 54 months in prison,” Orsini said.
The man’s legal counsel, Aaron A. Schwartz of Patituce & Associates, did not respond to a request for comment Monday afternoon.
Stone, who was admitted to the bar in November of 2009, announced in October of 2022 that he would resign his law license to address “mental health needs.”
“In fact, my application to resign was supported by correspondence from my mental health care provider who reinforced this decision to leave the practice of law,” Stone wrote at the time.
Stone hired to investigate untimely death
Stone graduated cum laude from Wittenberg University in 2005 and earned his law degree from the University of Dayton School of Law in 2009.
The former athlete towered above prosecutors in courtrooms throughout North Central Ohio for the next decade.
But a 34-page complaint filed in October 2022 with the Ohio Disciplinary Counsel brought the wayward attorney to his knees.
That document alleged Stone misled two clients who were grieving the untimely death of Brandon Richard Baxter III, 31, of Bucyrus, who died Aug. 9, 2016. The Wynford graduate was Melinda Straker’s son and Dan Straker’s stepson, the Bucyrus Telegraph-Forum reported.
The parents believed Baxter’s death was suspicious and suspected his wife, so they hired Stone to investigate.
The formal complaint claimed that, over the course of more than five years from December 2016 to January 2021, Stone repeatedly — and falsely — told the Strakers that state officials were investigating their son’s death, that a grand jury had issued an indictment and, ultimately, law enforcement officials were about to make an arrest.
‘We did our due diligence’
Despite the couple’s allegations against their son’s wife, police never found any evidence against the woman.
Tom Walker, who at the time was a captain with the Bucyrus Police Department, said officers conducted an extensive investigation that included a crime scene reconstruction before concluding no foul play was involved.
“I know there’s been a lot of speculation, possibly even some accusations, but we treated it all the way through as if it were a homicide,” Walker said at the time. “We did our due diligence to make sure.”
Crawford County Prosecutor Matt Crall supported the results of the investigation in a letter dated June 23, 2017, by writing that “no criminal charges will be forthcoming.”
Despite the lack of a case, Stone encouraged the Strakers to conduct a surveillance operation on the woman and assured them agents planned to arrest her.
The state officials Stone said were handling the investigation later denied any knowledge of the situation.
‘Time to pray to Santa’
Stone had told the Strakers in December 2016 that they could pursue a wrongful death suit that would eventually be presented to the Ohio Attorney General’s Office, Telegraph-Forum Reporter Gere Goble wrote in 2022.
The legal complaint alleged the Strakers paid more than $2,000 to a guardian ad litem, more than $10,000 in legal and filing fees to Stone’s office and approximately $28,000 for a crime scene reconstructionist.
The attorney became friends with the Strakers, the complaint stated. They told him they loved him, babysat his children, bought his family gifts and brought dinner to his house.
In October 2020, the Strakers met with Stone at his office and he told them Special Agent Chris Hamberg from the Ohio Attorney General’s Criminal Bureau of Investigations would hande the case, which later proved to be untrue.
By October 2021, Stone told the couple that their son’s wife had been indicted by a grand jury, the complaint alleged.
“Short story: warrant will be issued this week,” Stone texted on Nov. 22, 2021. “State Patrol will be doing arrest.”
The former attorney then told the Strakers that staff shortages were holding the state back, and that they should rent a vehicle and conduct surveillance outside the wife’s house. The couple took his advice.
On Dec. 11, 2021, the Strakers spotted the woman at a craft show and notified Stone, the complaint stated. He told them he had forwarded the information and the search had begun. But by evening, he had nothing to report.
When they texted Stone on Dec. 22, he thanked them for Christmas gifts and told them, “Warrants are signed. Time to pray to Santa,” the complaint stated. In a long exchange of text messages on Dec. 29, 2021, Stone told the Strakers agents were making their move.
“Agent has eyes on house … Post is mobilized in unmarked cars. They are starting that way … Agent is in pursuit. Waiting for patrol back up,” he said
Eventually, Stone sent a text informing Dan Straker, “They are in the backdoor. Won’t hear anything for maybe 20 minutes.”
But then he told them the woman had slipped through the net, escaping in her father’s car.
‘My head isn’t where it needs to be’
Stone had told the couple their case was being handled by Christopher Kinsler, a special prosecutor in the Ohio Attorney General’s office.
By January 2022, nearly six years after their son’s death, the Strakers wanted answers. They demanded a telephone call with Kinsler to find out why the case was taking so long.
“I already told him I wanted him and Hamberg tomorrow with you and me,” Smith replied. “Even if it’s lunch. Everyone has to be on the same page. This isn’t fair to you and your people, and frankly it’s not fair to me.
“I am supposed to be out of this as a middle man. This should be between you all and BCI unless I’m out with you guys.”
On Jan. 16, Adam Stone’s father, Chuck Stone, died unexpectedly. The Strakers waited a week, then told Stone they were going to email Kinsler with their questions. Stone responded: “My head isn’t where it needs to be, guys. I’m so sorry.”
That’s when Kinsler told the couple he had never heard of the matter and that no such case existed.
The Strakers told Stone about the situation, but he insisted the case was real.
Stone ‘fabricated several hard-to-hear and dropped calls’
“I talked to him directly,” Mindy Straker replied, according to the complaint. “Will you just be honest with me because if it’s really not happening, I need to move on. You know, please don’t. We came to you because we lost Brandon, and we needed help. Now, if this has been dragged out and you’re telling us a story, just admit it, tell the truth, and let me move on to whatever else I have to do.”
Stone called Mindy Straker back later and said Kinsler was hesitant to speak to her without Stone present. She asked him to arrange a three-way call with her, Kinsler and himself. It was scheduled for the next day.
At 3:29 p.m. Jan. 26, a call took place, but the complaint alleges that Stone claimed Kinsler was on the line, “then fabricated several hard-to-hear and dropped calls.”
Kinsler was never involved, the complaint stated.
During a second call at 5:02 p.m., Stone pretended to be Kinsler and answered some of the Strakers’ questions, the complaint claimed. Eventually, Mindy Straker confronted him.
“Adam … That is not Chris Kinsler answering that. We can clearly hear that it’s you,” she said, according to the complaint.
Stone ended the call and called back again using FaceTime. The Strakers asked him to have Kinsler call them. He did not.
The Strakers filed a grievance against Stone on Feb. 1.
The woman has never been investigated or charged.
Former Telegraph-Forum reporter Gere Goble contributed to this article.
ztuggle@gannett.com
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This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Former attorney Adam Stone pleaded guilty to two felonies; could spend 54 months in prison
Reporting by Zach Tuggle, Mansfield News Journal / Mansfield News Journal
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