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Second Half Of Reagan Tokes Bill Introduced In Ohio House

Reagan Tokes
Reagan Tokes
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Reagan Tokes

Reagan Tokes was a 21-year-old Ohio State University student who was kidnapped, raped and murdered by a recently released felon in 2017. While part of a package of bills named for her passed last year, backers say important measures still need to be put into law.

State Rep. Rick Carfagna (R-Genoa Township) says he’s unsure why lawmakers only passed one part of the "Reagan Tokes Act" in December. Now he wants to pass another bill focusing on monitoring inmates after they are released, which lawmakers left out of last year's version.

“We just can’t have dangerous felons wandering around homeless with no guardrails or support. I mean, that’s a recipe for disaster," Carfagna says.

One change from the original bill employs the current criminal background check system used by police agencies for GPS monitoring rather than creating a separate database. The man convicted of killing Tokes was wearing a GPS system that wasn’t being actively monitored.

Jo Ingles is a professional journalist who covers politics and Ohio government for the Ohio Public Radio and Television for the Ohio Public Radio and Television Statehouse News Bureau. She reports on issues of importance to Ohioans including education, legislation, politics, and life and death issues such as capital punishment.