Gag orders issued in criminal cases of Takoda Collins' death; New information not likely until trials begin

DAYTON — In the News Center 7 I-Team’s continuing coverage of 10-year-old Takoda Collins' death, a Montgomery County judge has now changed the way you’ll be able to learn information in the case.

Gag orders issued by a judge in the criminal cases of all three people charged in connection with Collins' death means no one involved in the cases can talk about them publicly.

As WHIO has reported for months, prosecutors say Collins' dad, Al McLean, abused, raped and eventually murdered him. McLean’s girlfriend, Amanda Hinze, and her sister, Jennifer Ebert are accused of knowing about the abuse but doing nothing to stop it.

All three have been charged in connection with Takoda Collins' death. Ebert took a plea deal in May, while Hinze and McLean are still waiting for their trials.

The gag orders, as well as the court ordering that records in two of the three cases be sealed, mean there will be very little, if any, new information made public in these cases until those two trials start.

News Center 7′s I-Team has searched Montgomery County court records online and they show the records in McLean and Ebert’s criminal cases are sealed. That means the media and the public cannot get a hold of any court documents filed in connection with the cases.

As of Wednesday afternoon, online court records in Montgomery County Common Pleas Court indicate Hinze’s case is the only one with open court records.

Hinze’s case is also the one that had the most recent gag order issued. The I-Team obtained a copy of the court order Wednesday morning. Montgomery County Judge Dennis J. Adkins authored the entry for gag order on October 13.

In the three-page court order, Judge Adkins wrote, “… the Court acknowledges that the allegations against Ms. Hinze are extremely serious and involve claims of horrific acts against a child. Further, this case has already received considerable media attention. The court takes its role in the administration of fair proceedings extremely seriously, and a significant part of that role is ensuring that cases can proceed with the proper decorum – not a hysterical or circuslike furor.”

In the document, Judge Adkins also mentions that there has been a gag order issued in the case against Al McLean as well. He goes on to write, “Based upon the nature of the allegations in this matter and the serious implications that could result if parties and/or attorneys speak about the case to the media, the Court finds a gag order is appropriate in this case, as well, until the conclusion of the jury trial.”

The gag orders only affect the criminal proceedings in the cases connected with Takoda Collins' death. They have no impact on the civil case where Collins' estate is suing Montgomery County in connection with his death. The I-Team reached out to one of the lawyers representing Collins' estate in that civil lawsuit Wednesday. They said they had no comment on the gag orders.

Cox Media Group