Photo by Scott McCloskey Times Leader Staff Writer Robert A. DeFrank works outside the Belmont County Courthouse in St. Clairsville, where he regularly reports on a variety of court cases and county offices. DeFrank won third place in the Ohio Associated Press Media Editors 2018 Better Newspapers Contest in the Best News Writer category for Division II.

COLUMBUS — Times Leader Staff Writer Robert A. DeFrank brought home a third-place award Saturday from a statewide contest that recognized the best newspaper performances of 2018.

DeFrank, staff writer, was named third in the Best News Writer category among all of Ohio’s Division II newspapers at the Ohio Associated Press Media Editors Annual Meeting and Awards Banquet at The Hilton Columbus. Other finalists in that category included Tyler Buchanan of The Athens Messenger, who captured first place, and Jon Wysonchanski of The Star Beacon in Ashtabula, who received the second-place award. Division II newspapers are those publications that have a daily circulation of 8,000-11,999 readers.

“I am very proud of Robert and his work,” said Perry Nardo, regional manager for The Times Leader. “He is certainly deserving of this award.”

DeFrank won the honor based on several examples of his work, including coverage of municipal affairs, breaking news and legal issues. Among the articles that helped him receive the first-place award were:

∫ State investigates Bethesda police chief — DeFrank followed a community controversy in which residents complained about the conduct of then-Bethesda Police Chief Eric Smith. As a result, Smith had been suspended with pay, and the Ohio Attorney General’s Office launched an investigation of allegations that Smith misused the Ohio Law Enforcement Gateway, a computerized system for performing background checks and other law enforcement work. Smith ultimately was cleared of any wrongdoing and resigned from his post after reaching an agreement with the village, the terms of which have not been disclosed.

– Thomas faces jail for contempt – This article details a situation in which Mark Thomas, a former lawyer and former Belmont County commissioner, failed to provide records related to a client of his now-closed law practice. Thomas had served as power of attorney for a trustee client and did not produce documents requested by the woman’s new counsel despite a court order directing him to do so. Thomas was found in contempt and served 30 days in the county jail as a result. The final resolution of that case is still pending.

– Body found in St. Clairsville lake – Every day for nearly a week, DeFrank was at the scene of a search for a missing man in the area of a private lake. The man had been swimming with friends when he disappeared and they were unable to find him. The search by emergency responders was hampered by dense underwater vegetation and heavy silt. Eventually, a nearby resident spotted something in the lake and responders were able to recover the man’s body.

– Keeping judgments appropriate to the case – DeFrank, who covers criminal court on a regular basis, spoke to local judges and retired jurists about how they achieve a balance between the requirements of impartial application of the law and the human emotions that arise during prosecution of a criminal case. The article also examined the potential consequences of a judge “crossing the line,” including the potential for a verdict or sentence to be challenged or for a judge to receive an official reprimand.

DeFrank said he was surprised and honored simply to be selected as a finalist.

“When I first heard about it, my initial reaction was ‘How did this happen?'” DeFrank said. “It’s all about the material and the editing. Thanks go to my editor, Jennifer Compston-Strough, to Robert ‘Bubba’Kapral for taking a chance on me and to Kay Sedgmer for recommending me.”

Kapral, who was managing editor at the time but is now the paper’s executive sports editor, hired DeFrank as a part-time reporter in September 2010. DeFrank remained with The Times Leader for a few years before becoming a full-time staff writer, developing his reporting, writing and photography skills along the way.

“There is no question in my mind that Robert is one of the best newspaper reporters in the state,” Compston-Strough said. “He is a hard-working, dedicated journalist who always strives to be thorough, accurate and fair in his reporting. We are proud of him and his work, both in 2018 and every year.”

More than 1,000 contest entries were submitted by newspapers across Ohio. The entries were judged by newspaper editors in Michigan.