PADDLING PROBE Fowler Twp. officials ask chief to resign

The part-time chief says he has not received the letter.
By PEGGY SINKOVICH
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
FOWLER -- Township trustees are asking the township's police chief, who is accused of paddling numerous juveniles as part of a diversion program, to resign.
A letter informing Police Chief James Martin that trustees don't want him to continue as chief of the department was sent to his attorney earlier this week, according to Atty. Mark Finamore, the township's legal counsel.
"The trustees no longer want him to work here, and in the letter we are asking for a voluntary resignation so that we don't have to start removal proceedings," Finamore said.
Martin pleaded innocent to a 52 count indictment related to his actions in running the diversion program. He retired last month from his full time job as police captain in Howland.
Contacted by telephone, Martin said he has not received the letter from Fowler Township.
"When I get it, I will read it and review it with my attorney before making any decisions," Martin said.
Finamore said officials will give Martin a few weeks to decide.
Probe began in March
State and federal officials began investigating Martin's juvenile diversion program in March. The program used corporal punishment and was being operated out of the Fowler Township Police Department.
Martin has been on unpaid leave from the Fowler Department since April.
Martin, free on a $2,500 bond, is facing 20 counts of dereliction of duty; 11 counts of misdemeanor assault; seven counts of unauthorized photography; 12 counts of using a sham legal process; and two felony counts of theft in office, said Dave Toepfer, an assistant Trumbull County prosecutor.
Martin is scheduled to return to court Tuesday for a pretrial conference.
Authorities said the charge of sham legal process means Martin showed juveniles a document that appeared official but in reality had no legal standing and was not lawfully issued.
The indictment further states that Martin used a wooden paddle on several juveniles and adults numerous times as part of the diversion program. The adults were 18 and 20 years old. All the victims were male, officials said.
The counts of unauthorized photography stem from videotape recordings made of the victims while they were being paddled, the indictment states. The videos were not stored at the police department but were kept at James Martin's home, the indictment states.
The theft-in-office charge states that Martin took a police file, videotapes, physical evidence and diversion program files from 1975-92 from the Howland Township police department. The records were stored in his basement, the indictment states.
Martin's attorney, Dominic Vitantonio, said his client operated the diversion program in an attempt to help juveniles stay out of trouble.
sinkovich@vindy.com