Over 10 years ago an Alliance police officer left the department after having been accused of sex crimes. Now, a decade later, that same man has been arrested by officers from the Ohio Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. The former police officer has once again found himself in the middle of a sex crimes investigation.
The man was arrested for allegedly possessing materials of a sexual nature and indulging in obscenities that involve minors. The charges against the man are third degree felonies. The day after he was arrested, officers entered and searched the home the individual shared with his mother.
During the search, they confiscated everything from hard drives to thumb drives to computers. The search was the result of an investigation that lasted at least two weeks. Back in 2002, the former officer was sentenced to spend up to two years in prison and then 10 more months in jail as a result of the charges he faced then. If convicted this time, he could end up spending 10 years in prison and upwards of $20,000 in fines. The potential sentences were enhanced by his prior convictions in accordance with Ohio law.
It will be up to prosecutors and the Ohio Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force to prove the former officer is guilty of the crimes he is facing. Even though he paid for the crimes he committed over a decade ago, the court may allow the details of those prior convictions to be shared in court during his current case. It will be up to the former officer and his defense counsel to convince the court that just because he made mistakes in the past that doesn’t mean he is guilty now.
Source: The Review, “Former Alliance cop accused of sex crimes is bound over to grand jury,” Gayle Agnew, May 11, 2013
