Despite his success, he remained humble and doggedly committed to the people who elected him.
Steve grew up in the working-class subdivision of Sunnyland on the south end of Springfield. His father Eugene, a decorated World War II pilot, and his mother, Virginia, were quiet, hardworking people.
Steve graduated in 1971 from Springfield Shawnee High School, where he played football and was an outstanding track and field athlete. He then matriculated at Wittenberg University, graduating in 1975 with highest honors.
Taking his legal training at The Ohio State University College of Law, Steve worked as a summer intern in the office of Clark County Prosecutor James A. Berry. He earned his juris doctor degree at Ohio State with Order of the Coif honors in 1978, and was hired by Berry as a full-time assistant prosecuting attorney.
Steve’s commitment to serve the citizens of Clark County must be placed in context. It is rare for such a legal talent, with such an enviable academic resume, to seek a career in the public sector of his hometown. The more common professional destinations are higher-paying private law firms or lucrative state and federal government positions.
As an assistant prosecutor, Steve quickly became the primary criminal trial litigator on Berry’s staff. When Berry decided not to seek a seventh term in 1984, Schumaker ran for the office of Clark County prosecutor and was elected.
During the first years of his tenure, Steve and local law enforcement had to confront the greatest proliferation of local crime since the Prohibition era. The introduction of cheap, yet powerful, illicit drugs like crack cocaine resulted in a lethal spike in street violence.
A hands-on prosecutor, Steve would respond to homicides and arrive on murder scenes at all hours of the day or night to assist the police in their investigations and arrests. Steve also would accompany law enforcement task forces on dangerous drug raids. When these investigations came to trial, he had a thorough knowledge of the facts at issue, and the legal scholarship to frame the legal theories in the most effective persuasion.
During the Schumaker years, Clark County crime victims had the benefit of superior trial advocacy. Unlike many elected prosecutors, he remained actively involved in cases in the office. He probably stood before more juries in criminal litigation during his tenure than any other prosecutor in Ohio.
Even when away from the office, Steve was working on trial strategy and preparation. He would often have brainstorms when working out at the Springfield YMCA or cutting wood at home, and would think of ways to implement these ideas before the court reconvened.
The passion, intellect, and energy that Steve brought to his office did not go unnoticed outside Clark County.
On the state level, he was selected by the Ohio Prosecuting Attorney Association (OPAA) as Prosecutor of the Year in 1996. He later served as president of the association.
On the national level, Steve served as president of the Association of Government Attorneys in Capital Litigation (AGACL). This organization gives support and guidance to attorneys prosecuting death penalty cases throughout the United States.
Steve did his job with honesty and integrity, but, just as important, he served Clark County with courage, insight, and attention to detail.
In 1992, the bodies of two young girls were found near Schuler’s Bakery in Springfield. The brutality and mystery surrounding the murders left the community profoundly uneasy. There was extreme pressure on local law enforcement to solve the case.
After a long, frustrating investigation, several mentally-challenged men were arrested and indicted on circumstantial evidence.
During trial preparation, Steve lacked confidence in the strength of the case. He also had a hunch, based on years of intuitive speculation, that someone else might be involved. He moved the court to dismiss the indictments.
The law enforcement investigators, who had been working around the clock for over a year on this case, were understandably upset. There were some in the community who threatened to support any political opponent who would run against Steve when he came up for re-election. He showed his courage by sticking to his belief.
Later, a career criminal, William Sapp, was arrested for the savage beating of a Springfield prostitute. Springfield police detectives, interested in the similarity of this crime and the murder of the two young girls, took Sapp’s DNA. It matched the genetic evidence found at the murder scene. Schumaker presented the case against him and Sapp is presently facing the death penalty.
Schumaker also brought a depth of insight and attention to detail to his job. These attributes were demonstrated when, on Christmas Eve 1993, Peter Coleman hosted a party at his N. Yellow Springs Street home.
A violent argument ensued between Coleman and Mac Leon Anthony, a party guest. Anthony walked out on the front porch and called Coleman out. Grabbing his gun, Coleman went to the front door. Four shots rang out and Coleman fell dead on the living room floor. Anthony suffered a superficial gunshot wound to his arm.
Crime-scene investigators believed that this was a clear case of self-defense. It looked that way to everyone, except Steve. He ordered the screen door removed and taken to the crime lab.
A microscopic examination of the bullet hole in the screen and measurement of the trajectory angle of the fatal bullet proved that Anthony fired first. This discredited his self-defense claim, and Anthony was convicted of murder.
As an administrator, Steve ran his office as a family. He exuded a legal energy that elevated the performance of his staff. Most of the assistant prosecutors that he hired remained for a significant number of years. Those who left benefited from the credibility received by working for Steve.
Former assistant prosecutors Susan H. Anderson, Thomas E. Trempe, Richard P. Carey and Douglas M. Rastatter became judges.
Steve and his wife, Robyn, raised three great children — Alex, Ryan and Laura — during his years as county prosecutor. The Schumaker family made sure that no staff member was a stranger in their home.
During his career, Steven A. Schumaker served Clark County residents well. He would probably say that the reverse is also true. This community is fortunate to have enjoyed Steve’s talents for so many years. Now all Ohioans will benefit.
Good luck, Steve, and thanks!
Darnell Carter is a retired Clark County assistant prosecutor.
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