The state of Ohio is seeking to end a land claim filed by the Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma.

The tribe is claiming 146 square miles of western Ohio. The tribe also claims hunting, fishing and gathering in parts of the state.

Ohio Attorney General Jim Petro responded last week in a court filing that it is too late for the tribe to make its claim. "It is both impossible and inequitable for the Eastern Shawnee to ask this court to try to turn the hands of time back almost 200 years," the brief stated, according to news reports.

Meanwhile, Petro has been given approval to spend up to $35,000 on an expert who will fight tribal claims. The state has also been sued by the Ottawa Tribe of Oklahoma.

Get the Story:
Ohio opposes bid by Shawnee to regain land (The Cincincatti Enquirer 10/19)
Petro gets OK to hire expert to oppose Indian casino push (AP 10/19)

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