Former Greene County detective detained for several hours
Zachary Sams held after coming late to court
A former Greene County detective accused of helping a former county district attorney retaliate against his political rivals spent several hours in custody after he failed to appear for a court hearing Tuesday morning.
Zachary Sams, 41, of McDonald, had been scheduled for a plea court hearing before Judge Jeffry Grimes in Greene County Court of Common Pleas.
After waiting an additional five minutes past the scheduled start time of the hearing for Sams or his attorney, Lawrence Bolind, Grimes said he would issue a warrant for Sams’ arrest.
Grimes said Bolind had indicated as recently as Friday that he and Sams knew of Tuesday’s hearing and planned to show up.
Bolind said Tuesday afternoon he and Sams had been under the mistaken impression that the hearing began at 9:30 a.m., rather than 9. When they showed up at the courtroom at 9:19, Sams was taken into custody, Bolind said.
They were able to reach the state attorney general’s office for a hearing by phone later that afternoon, Bolind said.
After some scolding over punctuality from the judge, the discussion turned to an upcoming evidentiary hearing, Bolind said. Sams’ bench warrant was vacated at the end of the hearing.
“We’ve learned our lesson — don’t be late, and everybody has to check everybody else to make sure they have the correct date,” Bolind said.
There have not been any plea discussions in the case, Bolind said.
Sams served as chief detective for former Greene County District Attorney David Russo, who left office after one term in 2023 after losing in the Republican primary. The two are accused of conspiring in selective prosecutions against Russo’s political rivals, including county solicitor Eugene Grimm and former county commissioner Mike Belding.
Russo’s plea court hearing, originally scheduled for the same time Tuesday, was continued to Nov. 5. Sams and Russo are also scheduled to appear in court that day on a defense motion for discovery.
Tuesday’s hearing was the second time Sams and Bolind have been no-shows. The day after they were absent from a plea court hearing in June, Grimes issued a bench warrant. The same day, Bolind applied for — and received — a continuance to July on the grounds that Sams wasn’t ready.
During an interview after the June hearing, Bolind said he had been under the impression it was postponed.
Sams faces misdemeanor charges of retaliation for past official action and official oppression, along with matching conspiracy charges.
Russo is charged with the same misdemeanor offenses, along with a felony count of conflict of interest and a misdemeanor charge of misapplying entrusted government property.