![Downtown Put-In-Bay in Jan. 2017, the clock tower building includes village town hall and the police station. [Elizabeth Miller / ideastream]](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/ad7724f/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3000x1592+0+0/resize/840x446!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Flegacy%2Fuploads%2F2017%2F9%2F07%2Fputinbay_miller_web.jpg)
A raid was conducted today at town hall offices in Put-In-Bay, along with the office of Jet Express, a ferry service in Put-In-Bay, and two residential properties owned by Todd Blumensaadt, the ferry company's president. Two buildings in Port Clinton were also raided - one the office of attorney George Wilber, who is listed on the mayor's court's website as the prosecutor for the Village of Put-In-Bay. A commercial building owned by a company, First Island, registered to Blumensaadt was also searched.
The raids were announced by Ohio's Attorney General Mike DeWine's office. In a press release, DeWine said the investigation involved the Bureau of Criminal Investigation, the Ohio Ethics Commission, the state Auditor's Office, the FBI and IRS. No details were given about the alleged crimes under investigation. The search warrants are under seal.
The Put-In-Bay Police Department, which is located at one of the addresses that was searched, declined to comment. A call to Jet Express was not answered.
Keith Blumensaadt, the brother of the owner of Jet Express, has accused town officials of corruption and harrassment and pressed state officials for an investigation, according to reporting by The Sandusky Register.
