Criminal investigation of Dayton golf course contractor continues

The criminal investigation of the company that ran Dayton’s Community Golf Course in Kettering continues a month after city officials said they would not pursue charges against the firm, an I-Team investigation found.

The investigation began in April over concerns that money was missing related to services provided by Walther Golf. Dayton had paid Walther $914,988 since 2012 for golf services, including starts, range management, lessons, cart rentals and other expenses.

In September, the city terminated its contract with the Kettering-based company and its president and golf pro Chadwick Walther. In the agreement, retroactive to April, the city agreed to not pursue claims against the company.

“We are relieving them of anything we found, criminal or civil,” Deputy City Manager Joe Parlette said in a September interview with this newspaper.

Dayton then hired the company Prior to Tee Time LLC to manage the course under a $381,560 contract through 2017.

The agreement also bans Chadwick Walther from ever setting foot on a golf course owned by the city of Dayton.

But city of Dayton officials refused to release the full internal investigation of Walther under Ohio public records law, saying this week that they can’t do that because the Dayton Police Department is still investigating.

The termination agreement signed by the city holds Walther harmless for anything “it has knowledge of on the date that it executes the agreement,” the agreement says.

If the city receives new information, the agreement says, the city must bring claims within two years.

Attorney John Paul Rion represented Walther in negotiating the agreement. He did not return a call seeking comment Monday.

Staff Writer Cornelius Frolik contributed to this report.

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