Former commissioner Archie Wilson enters the court room in Kenton County Feb. 14 for arraignment. Wilson pleaded not guilty to charges for soliciting prostitution and drug trafficking and return to court March 15.
Former Clermont County Commissioner Archie Wilson, who was charged Feb. 3 for soliciting prostitution and trafficking in a controlled substance in Kentucky, pleaded not guilty to the charges at Kenton County District Court Feb. 14.

Wilson appeared in front of Judge Ann Ruttle around 9:30 a.m. with his attorney Bob Lotz. After he announced his plea, Judge Ruttle scheduled his next court appearance for 9 a.m. March 15.

According to Susan Topmiller, public information officer for Kenton County Attorney’s Office, a warrant for Wilson’s arrest was issued after the misdemeanor charges were filed Feb. 3, however, since he appeared for his arraignment Feb. 14, the warrant was not served.

Wilson resigned from his position on the Board of County Commissioners the day before the charges were filed by the Kenton County Attorney’s Office and Kentucky State Police in Northern Kentucky.

According to Clermont County Sheriff Tim Rodenberg, the investigation stemmed from information detectives received from a Clermont County Jail inmate in June of 2011, who said Wilson had provided her drugs and money in return for sex while he was commissioner.

The sheriff’s report, which was dated June 22, 2011, said inmate Amanda Lay wished to speak with a detective about information she had on a prostitution ring after seeing Wilson’s photo in a newspaper while she was in jail.

The report explained that Lay told detectives Wilson had paid her money to have sex or perform sex acts with him. She said Wilson would call her cell phone, set up a pick-up location and they would go to a motel in Erlanger, Ky., where she would book a room.

Lay told detectives Wilson would bring drugs, in the form of cocaine and pills, to give to her, and for his own consumption. Wilson would also give Lay money to pay for a room under the fictitious name “Tiffney Fee.”

Lay said the meetings went on for several weeks and also said Wilson drove an SUV with license plate number OH FFA-6482 when he came to pick her up. The report said the plates were registered to Midwestern Plumbing, a business Wilson is part owner of.

In addition, the report said Sergeant Chris Stratton of the sheriff’s office made contact with one of the motel clerks in Erlanger Ky., who said she remembered the SUV as well as an older male and young female renting a room.

The clerk said she thought it was odd, and also wrote down OH FFA-6482 as the license plate number.

“Our investigators immediately followed up on this and within a week or so concluded that none of the alleged activity occurred in Clermont County, but rather, in Northern Kentucky,” Sheriff Rodenberg said in an email.

Sheriff Rodenberg said after making this determination, the case was transferred from the sheriff’s office to Kentucky State Police, who continued the investigation.

“From that point forward we had no further involvement in the investigation,” Sheriff Rodenberg said.

He said in the email release that his office did receive updates about the case as the investigation continued and received word from officials in Kentucky that charges had been filed Feb. 3.

The Kenton County Attorney’s Office announced Feb. 8 that the charges had been filed against Wilson Friday, Feb. 3 for soliciting prostitution and trafficking a controlled substance.

The release also stated that Amanda Lay said Wilson had encounters with many others.