Preliminary hearing set for Lorain County Prosecutor, Chief of Staff facing criminal charges

ELYRIA, Ohio (WOIO) - Lorain County Prosecutor J.D. Tomlinson and his Chief of Staff James Burge are set to appear for a preliminary hearing Friday morning. according to court records.

The court appearance comes days after Tomlinson was unseated from his Lorain County Prosecutor position in the recent election.

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On Oct. 16, Tomlinson and Burge appeared side by side in Elyria Municipal Court Wednesday afternoon.

The October hearing held in front of Visiting Judge Patrick Carroll.

“I realize that this case has taken on a bit of a life of its own being politically charged,” said Carroll.

Tomlinson is charged with tampering with evidence, intimidation and attempted bribery.

Burge is charged with tampering with evidence and intimidation.

Former Franklin County Prosecutor Ronald O’Brien has been appointed as the special prosecutor for this case.

According to a twenty-two-page report from the Lorain County Sheriff’s Office, the charges stem from allegations made by former employee Jennifer Battistelli.

According to the report, Battistelli began working at the prosecutor’s office in January 2021 and later that spring began dating Tomlinson.

Battistelli claimed that Tomlinson became obsessed with her and would call her one hundred times a day.

During the summer of 2023, Battistelli filed a formal complaint against Tomlinson and resigned.

She said Tomlinson and Burge tried to make false statements in an effort for her to drop her complaints.

During the hearing, Battistelli’s lawyer requested a no-contact order for him and his client.

“The defendants have made numerous statements about me that are false. In fact, defamatory,” said Lowder.

Neither Tomlinson nor Barge entered a plea.

19 News has reached out to both Tomlinson and Burge for a comment, but have not heard back.