CHARDON, Ohio — Where you work sounds like a simple question — but in 2026, it isn't always with the rise in hybrid and work-from-home options.
The Ohio Supreme Court is weighing how to legally define "place of employment" after a Tier 3 sex offender ended up performing work at a children's summer camp in Geauga County.
It all centers on Chris Smith Jr., a Tier 3 sex offender.
According to court records, Smith was employed by the Center for Employment Opportunities, a Cleveland-based staffing agency that helps formerly incarcerated individuals.
In 2023, that agency hired him out for janitorial services with Immaculate Cleaning, which in turn got hired to perform a cleaning job at Camp Wise, a kids summer camp in Geauga County.
Smith was arrested for failing to register his change of employment after spending several weeks working there, which Smith's attorneys contend he was not required to do.
"Camp Wise didn't know who he was," Mooney said. "He didn't get a paycheck from them. He had no benefits from them. Everything went through Immaculate Cleaning and that was his place of employment. He didn't change that."
"The purpose of the statute is to put people on notice of where sex offenders are during the day, are they in your community or nearby where your kids are," Geauga County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Nicholas Burling said.
The complexity of the question isn't lost on the justices hearing the case.
"Let's say I'm here 30 days of the year, the rest of the time I'm in Columbia Township working, reading briefs... where is my place of employment?" Justice Patrick Fischer said.
But did Smith need to change his employment address? Did he need to register in person at the Geauga County Sheriff's Office that he took a job in Claridon Township?
"There's electricians, plumbers, and even pizza delivery people - once they go to their main place of business, their daily duties take them to other counties," Mooney said. "We're asking the court for a legal definition of what place of employment means."
Smith's attorney pointed out to justices that there were not any kids at the time of Smith's work at the campsite.
"If I'm going to be at this job site for more than three days, if he doesn't have a ride, [he needs to say,] 'hey I need you to take me to the sheriff so I can register in person and let them know where I'm working,'" Burling explained. "That's imposed by the law. I know it's burdensome but that is a consequence of being convicted of a sexually oriented offense."
In a statement to News 5, Jesse Rosen, President & CEO of the Mandel JCC, which runs Camp Wise, said:
The individual in question was an employee of a third-party janitorial vendor. When we became aware of the situation, we immediately terminated our contract with that vendor, which prevented its employees from returning to our facility. The safety of our campers and staff is – and will always be – our highest priority. This includes how we engage outside vendors and ensure proper background checks are conducted on their employees before accessing our facilities.
The Ohio Supreme Court is expected to issue a ruling in the near future.
In 2023, Governor Mike DeWine signed a bill that prevents most Tier 2 or Tier 3 sex offenders from working with kids. Before that law, there was no state statute stopping them.
Clay LePard is the Ashtabula, Geauga and Portage counties reporter at News 5 Cleveland. Follow him on X @ClayLePard, on Facebook ClayLePardTV or email him at Clay.LePard@wews.com.
