Celina Law Director George Moore Discusses Dual Role, Approach to Criminal Cases

Celina Law Director George Moore says his position involves much more than what residents may see during Celina City Council meetings.

Moore joined WCSM’s Kevin Sandler on Spectrum Friday to discuss the two major sides of his job — serving as the city’s chief legal counsel and prosecuting misdemeanor cases filed throughout Mercer County.

As law director, Moore serves as the chief legal counsel for the City of Celina. Most legal matters involving the city initially cross his desk, including contracts, ordinances and other issues involving city government. While some specialized matters may be handled with outside counsel, Moore said he directly handles much of the city’s civil legal work.

Moore is also involved in reviewing many matters before they ever reach a vote by Celina City Council. While some ordinances are relatively routine, others require extensive research, drafting or contract negotiations.

Part of that responsibility, Moore said, is advising city officials when a proposal could conflict with Ohio law. In some cases, that means helping officials find another legal way to accomplish what they are trying to do.

Moore said he works closely with the mayor, safety service director, police department and other city department heads, who have direct access to him when legal questions arise.

The other half of Moore’s position is serving as prosecutor in Celina Municipal Court.

Through agreements with Mercer County and communities throughout the county, the Celina Law Director’s Office prosecutes misdemeanor cases filed by area law enforcement agencies. Moore said he typically has approximately 300 to 330 separate cases pending at any given time.

Despite that volume, Moore said he tries to avoid viewing cases simply as names or numbers on a docket.

“Every case file is somebody’s life,” Moore said during the interview.

Moore said his approach is not based on maintaining a win-loss record as a prosecutor. Instead, he said the question he asks is whether justice was served.

That can mean different outcomes for defendants facing similar charges because Moore considers the individual circumstances of each case, including a person’s criminal history, what led to the encounter with law enforcement, the seriousness of the conduct and how the individual behaved during the incident.

Moore used impaired driving cases as an example, explaining that a first-time offender who is slightly over the legal limit under one set of circumstances may be viewed differently from someone who deliberately consumes a large amount of alcohol and then chooses to drive.

“Every case is different and is determined upon its particular facts,” Moore said.

Moore said accepting responsibility can also play an important role when determining how prosecutors handle a case.

He said defendants who acknowledge that they made a mistake may give prosecutors more confidence that they will take advantage of an opportunity such as probation, community service or a reduced sentence. Moore said it can be disappointing when someone receives a break and later returns to the court system, but he tries not to allow those experiences to influence how he evaluates a new defendant.

“The last thing we want is anybody to be at court,” Moore said. “And I guess the second-to-last thing would be for anybody to be back at court.”

Moore added that prosecutors also consider the views of crime victims when deciding how a case should be resolved, although the victim’s preferred outcome is only one factor in the final decision.

Moore has served as Celina Law Director since 2012 and is currently in his fourth term. He told WCSM he intends to seek a fifth term, saying he considers the position the best way he can serve the community where he was born and raised.