Canton Local Schools board member Scott Hamilton wants 2022 theft conviction sealed

CANTON TWP. ‒ Canton Local Schools board member Scott Hamilton wants a judge to expunge his criminal theft conviction for stealing items from a Massillon farm store last year and seal his record.

Hamilton, 62, was charged in May 2022 with felony theft, accused of taking 166 bales of pine shavings from Tractor Supply Co. during multiple trips over a five-month period.

At the time, Hamilton’s attorney Daniel Funk blamed a misunderstanding since Hamilton purchased the chips weekly for his mini-farm and loaded them in his truck.

The felony charge was later reduced to misdemeanor theft and Hamilton pleaded guilty to that charge in June. Massillon Municipal Judge Edward Elum ordered Hamilton to pay a $100 fine and complete 40 hours of community service. He was placed on one year of probation.

A Tractor Supply Co. employee told the court he suspected the thefts had been going on a long time as store cameras only go back 100 days.

Now that Hamilton has completed his sentence, Funk said the charge is eligible for expungement, a legal process to remove or erase the conviction. It would seal the court record if approved by Elum.

A hearing is scheduled for Jan. 26 in Massillon Municipal Court.

Hamilton was eligible to file for expungement a year after he completed his sentence.

The court ordered the Massillon City prosecutor to file a written response to Hamilton’s request by Dec. 29.

Funk said the court typically sets a hearing about 90 days from the request to allow for the court to determine if the defendant is eligible, including ensuring a sentence was completed and the defendant hasn’t been involved in additional crimes.

Hamilton also was accused in October 2022 of stealing yard signs calling for his resignation from the school board by fellow board member Chris Cole. The pair developed a rift when Hamilton led a move to not renew a supplemental contract for Cole’s wife, a volleyball coach at Canton South High. Cole, whose term on the board is up in December, chose not to run for reflection.

The theft charges were later dropped by the Canton City prosecutor, who ruled the signs were placed on public property.

Hamilton, who is in his 26th year on the school board, said he hasn’t given much thought to the theft charge, adding he has been focused on giving back to the kids through his service on the board as well as through his foundation, The Scott and Edie Hamilton Foundation, which he began in 2008.

“We are about the celebrate $100,000 worth of giving primarily back to the Canton South community,” he said.

Reach Amy at 330-775-1135 or [email protected].

This article originally appeared on The Independent: Canton Local board member Scott Hamilton wants theft charge expunged