Sumary of What Started it All.

If You’ve Found This Site From A Plane In The Sky…
Sunday, May 29, 2005, 02:02 PM

Welcome To Erie Voices!

Many of you are probably wondering, “Who is Elsebeth Baumgartner?” You’ve probably seen her name in the newspaper and probably wondered why certain public officials in Erie and Ottawa County are so determined to shut this woman up. You’ve seen newspaper articles that make her sound “crazy” or “nuts” but since as a society we’re learning not to take the media’s spin on everything – many of you are probably wondering when we’ll hear her side of the story.

Baumgartner was an Attorney, Scientist and Pharmacist before she started butting heads with the legal system in Northwest Ohio. She is the CEO of Cleveland Genomics – A DNA Analysis Company based in Cleveland. She has a background in accounting, federal grants, intellectual property law, and biotech patent transfer.


The Baumgartner family in May 2005. Joe Baumgartner was on the Benton Carroll Salem School Board for 12 years and runs The Medicine Shoppe in Pemberville. Jackie just graduated from UT.

As we’re seeing with the Tom Noe case in Toledo, Ohio is a hub of financial corruption. Federal investigators have discovered that over $12 million is missing from the coiffeurs of Prominent Toledo Republican Tom Noe, and five Ohio Supreme Court Justices have had to recuse themselves from hearing a case that involves him. While Democrats attempt to blame the Republican leadership currently in power in Ohio, what’s really happening is that both parties have a stake in the government contract steering scheme currently in place. As former Governor Tim Hagan states in his lawsuit against the State of Ohio – it’s a “pay to play” system. This crooked ideology permeates the entire government spectrum in Ohio.

While Joe Baumgartner sat on the Benton Carroll Salem School District School Board, his wife investigated financial irregularities in the BCS school system that totaled in excess of $1.4 million. BCS officials eventually corrected the problems, but in the meantime the insiders circled the wagons around the Baumgartner’s to shut them up…


12 year school board veteran Joe Baumgartner said that the theft and misuse of tax money in the BCS school system was a result of a wasteful attitude brought about large amounts of tax revenue from Davis Besse.

Without in depth journalism and media coverage in the rural counties of Ohio, the Baumgartner’s story was easier to cover by lazy journalists whose job isn't to investigate allegations but rather relate the news as it happens. The Baumgartner story ended up being related to the public from the viewpoint of the people who wanted to silence their criticism. The insiders who were benefiting from loose financial dealings kept repeating this mantra until it was believed by the public: “Elsebeth Baumgartner is nuts!”

Many of you may have wondered about the story behind the story – so here it is:

The facts of this story can be found in the “Baumgartner Chronology.”

An interview of Baumgartner, which showcases her taxpayer advocacy, can be found here. Amazingly enough, the local government was able to ward off her criticism by claiming that it took "tax dollars" to deal with her - when in fact - her criticism could've saved us millions of dollars had they listened in the first place. An easy example would be the Erie County Prosecutor's Island Express debacle...

The Public Statement That Started It All.

Click on the above link to see Dr. Elsebeth Baumgartner’s statement before the Port Clinton City Council in January of 2002.

Baumgartner urged the City of Port Clinton not to enter into a public contract with Island Express Boat Lines – the company owned by public official Erie County Prosecutor Kevin Baxter. The company is now defunct but still owes the taxpayers in Erie County over $100,000.


Erie County Prosecutor Kevin Baxter

Baumgartner made that public statement after being contacted by two other people who were targeted by Kevin Baxter in order to silence their criticism of his office: Kevin’s brother Ejay, and Sanduskian Krista Harris.

Ejay Baxter

Ejay Baxter has been the target of legal abuse since the Baxter family went through a probate battle in the late 90’s. Kevin arranged to have Ejay prosecuted for 81 criminal charges after Ejay sent out letters asking to have his brother investigated for ORC violations of 2921.42 and federal law 18 USC 666. Ejay accused Kevin of using his office to gain things of value for himself. (Specifically a federal grant detailed here) Through collusion with Ohio Visiting Judges Kevin had gotten to know throughout his 16 years as prosecutor in Erie County, Kevin was able to intimidate and eventually run Ejay out of the State of Ohio.

Ejay moved to Florida to get away from his brother, but under the cover of the Sandusky Register’s media blackout, Ejay continues to be harassed by Kevin and “special prosecutors” supposedly assigned to Ejay’s case.

In July of 2004, Erie County officials were unsuccessful with an arrest attempt on Ejay at his home in West Palm Beach Florida. The Sandusky Register was not interested in the story even though there was plenty of evidence showing Interstate wire fraud involving the Erie County Sheriff’s office.

A “special prosecutor” recently asked for a national “bench warrant” to arrest Ejay in Florida on alleged nonviolent misdemeanor probation violations. On the telephone Cuyahoga County special prosecutor James Gutierrez called Ejay “nefarious” and said that “if Ejay has any guts tell him to come up here and fight these charges.”

Krista Harris: The “Black Monica Lewinski”

According to sworn affidavits, Krista Harris met the Erie County Prosecutor in 1994 when she served as a witness in the murder trial of Vivian Johnson. Johnson was murdered in a drive by shooting on Parrish Street in Sandusky. According to Harris’s sworn affidavits Kevin Baxter encouraged her to perjure herself in order that Baxter could obtain murder convictions on the three black males who were on the scene at the murder. According to Harris, while the murder trial was ongoing, Erie County Prosecutor Kevin Baxter invited Krista Harris to his residence at 1630 Willow Drive on the Cedar Point Chausee.

While at Baxter’s residence Krista alleges that they drank wine while “going over her testimony.” She claims that one thing led to another and they ended up having sex. Harris claims that after a time, Baxter needed her testimony to secure another conviction on one of the suspects involved in the murder. Harris refused to perjure herself again, which resulted in the release of the admitted shooter Shawn Caston.

Caston left prison while his accomplices remained incarcerated.

According to Harris’s attorney, this likely embarrassed the prosecutor.

Harris cut Baxter off sexually after the statute of limitations ran on the perjury charges Baxter threatened her with in order to keep her in line, but while speaking with Harris’s family Baxter learned of a domestic dispute between Krista and her Aunt Mary Belle Taylor. Sandusky Police Detective Mark Voltz “investigated” Harris for “theft,” and Baxter arranged to have a special prosecutor assigned to the civil matter in order to criminally prosecute Harris. Harris ended up being railroaded on sham theft charges. She is currently in the Trumbull County Correctional Facility.

From that facility Harris filed a federal civil rights action against Erie County officials, but it was dismissed without any inquiry into the alleged activity.


Baumgartner’s Role

Baumgartner entered the picture after Krista Harris and Ejay Baxter told her about Kevin Baxter’s abuse of office.

Like a good upstanding citizen, Baumgartner used her law degree to blow the whistle at the Port Clinton City Council meeting on January 2, 2002.

Four days later she was charged with a crime.

Stunned by the outrageousness of charging an attorney at law with a crime for speaking to a public body as an attorney at law while representing her clients, Baumgartner took her concerns to Washington DC in order to get a federal probe of Erie and Ottawa County courts.

Federal officials told Baumgartner that their concern was “homeland security” because the September 11th tragedy had occurred a mere 5 months before.

Read the rest of the story here…