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COLUMBUS — At his press conference Friday, May 2, in which he admitted to an affair with a staffer and said he was unprepared for the office he was elected to, Attorney General Marc Dann promised to work tirelessly to repair the public's trust.

But a short time after the press conference, he flew on the state plane to Cleveland to meet with the Plain Dealer to try to salvage his public image.

"He did what? It's just like he has one bad rookie mistake after another," said Catherine Turcer of Ohio Citizen Action, a good government watchdog group. "It's important to do your mea culpas but using the state resources to do them just backfires."

By Saturday five newspapers — including the Dayton Daily News — were calling for Dann's resignation.

But as bad as it is for Dann, it very likely will get worse. The Ohio Highway Patrol is investigating Dann's former aide, Anthony Gutierrez, for drunken driving of state vehicles, and the Ohio Ethics Commission has been asked to look into whether Gutierrez operated his private business on state time. Meanwhile, the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is investigating the sexual harassment claims Attorney General Office staffers Cindy Stankoski and Vanessa Stout filed against Gutierrez, their former boss.

And that's not all. Stankoski and Stout will file a civil suit against the state if they're not satisfied with the efforts to make them whole, their attorney said, and Dann could be subject to investigation by the Ohio Supreme Court's Office of Disciplinary Counsel, which oversees the conduct of judges and lawyers.

State Rep. Kevin Bacon, R-Columbus, said Saturday he wants Dann investigated for perjury and other possible crimes. Bacon said he would ask Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O'Brien to call for a special prosecutor to probe whether Dann perjured himself in his initial statement to Executive Assistant Attorney General Ben Espy over whether his scheduler, Jessica Utovich, ever stayed overnight at his apartment. O'Brien, however, said he didn't think a special prosecutor was warranted at this time.

With so much swirling over the attorney general's head, "I cannot see how he can survive it," Democratic political consultant Greg Haas said Saturday. Few were disagreeing.

"Public opinion has already formed on Marc Dann's legacy," said Republican consultant Mark Weaver. "He wanted to be known as a law enforcement crusader for the little guy and he will now be remembered as the John Belushi character from 'Animal House'."

Related content:
> Marc Dann steps down | Video of his resignation | Photos
> Pressure from his own party led Dann to relent and finally resign
> Top Ohio officials react after Dann resigns
> Columbus insider to run Attorney General's Office
> Gov. Strickland's statement on Dann resignation | Timeline of key events
> Our view: Marc Dann defines 'compounding mistakes' | More

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