Delaware County grand jury indicts local Republican Party politico with felony gun charge

A Delaware County grand jury on Friday added another charge — this one a gun-related felony — to a Republican Party influencer's misdemeanor impaired driving charge stemming from an April traffic stop.

Court records show that on Friday the grand jury indicted Catherine A. Nelson, 69, of Galena, with improperly handling a firearm in a motor vehicle, a fifth-degree felony, alleging that she did "knowingly transport or have a loaded handgun in a motor vehicle when she was under the influence of alcohol," drugs or both.

The Dispatch reported in mid-June that during the traffic stop, prompted by a report of a reckless driver around 10 p.m. April 19, Genoa Township police officers found a loaded 9 mm Ruger handgun in Nelson's driver-side door. Ohio law prohibits motorists from carrying a firearm in a vehicle if they are driving drunk and/or high.

Delaware County judges and prosecutor, all Republicans, recused themselves from Nelson's case, apparently due to conflicts of interest with Nelson, who has for years been a force in Delaware County politics, organizing fundraisers, helping select candidates and choosing opponents for those not aligned with her ideology, multiple Republican party sources have said. She has not held public office.

Last month, the case was referred to Henry County Prosecutor Gwen Howe-Gebers, who began reviewing the allegations and brought the new charge before the grand jury Friday.

Genoa Township officers previously said in court records that Nelson asked them to call her friend, a Genoa Township trustee, as she was being handcuffed.

Dispatch reporter Dean Narciso contributed to this report.

wbush@gannett.com

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