Clermont County coroner seeks leased space for forensic crime lab, citing mold in office and evidence backlogs

Dr. Brian Treon, Clermont County coroner, told commissioners on July 9 that his office needs larger, repaired facilities and a forensics-capable workspace to reduce lengthy evidence backlogs that delay criminal investigations and prosecutions.

Treon proposed moving the coroner's office from its current 1,300-square-foot location at 2277 Bauer Road into a larger leased space at 4357 Ferguson Road in Union Township (a property Union Township owns). He said the space would increase office size by roughly sixfold and allow for a digital forensics and analytical unit. "Our office is currently about 1,300 square foot. It would increase the size by about 6 times," Treon said.

Treon described two immediate drivers of the request: (1) mold and water intrusion at the current coroner office, which he said has led his office to operate outside the building and made the indoor air quality unsafe for public access, and (2) significant delays in forensic analysis in serious investigations because the county must rely on outside laboratories. Treon listed outside providers the county uses — Ohio BCI, Ohio State Highway Patrol, Hamilton County, and Cincinnati Police Department — and described turnarounds that can take six months or more for digital or ballistic analyses.

He outlined planned scope and costs: a proposed lease of about $105,000 per year that would include buildout costs, and an estimated increase in annual operating budget of roughly $500,000 (raising the…