The Ohio Supreme Court today indefinitely suspended a Columbus attorney convicted in a 2019 child pornography case.

In a unanimous per curiam opinion, the Supreme Court noted that David K. Connors has been under an interim suspension since May 2019 and he is not being given credit for time served.

Officers Discover More Than 1,000 Child Pornography Images
In March 2017, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant for Connors’ home. They recovered more than 1,000 images of child pornography from electronic devices. He was indicted in September 2018 on five fifth-degree felony counts of illegal use of a minor in nudity-oriented materials.

In February 2019, Connors pleaded guilty to one of the five counts, and the remaining counts were dismissed . He was sentenced to two years of community control and ordered to register as a Tier I sex offender for 15 years.

The Court placed Connors on an interim suspension in May 2019. In July, the Office of Disciplinary Counsel filed a complaint against him with the Board of Professional Conduct. The parties stipulated that Connors violated the rules governing the conduct by Ohio attorneys by committing an illegal act that reflects on his honesty and trustworthiness, and engaging in conduct that adversely reflects on his fitness to practice law.

Attorney Seeking Treatment
Connors submitted a letter to the board from a licensed mental-health counselor and sex-addiction therapist stating that he completed more than 20 counseling sessions between 2017 and 2018. Connors also stated he began to see another counselor for depression.

The board adopted the parties’ proposed sanction, which the Court adopted. To be reinstated, Connors must comply with the terms of his court-ordered community control; engage in continued treatment or counseling as recommended by a qualified healthcare professional; and obtain a prognosis from a qualified healthcare professional that he is capable of returning to the competent, ethical, and professional practice of law. Connors also must pay the cost of the disciplinary proceedings.

2020-0217. Disciplinary Counsel v. Connors, Slip Opinion No. 2020-Ohio-3339.

Please note: Opinion summaries are prepared by the Office of Public Information for the general public and news media. Opinion summaries are not prepared for every opinion, but only for noteworthy cases. Opinion summaries are not to be considered as official headnotes or syllabi of court opinions. The full text of this and other court opinions are available online.

PDF files may be viewed, printed, and searched using the free Acrobat^® Reader
Acrobat Reader is a trademark of Adobe Systems Incorporated.