Hergenrother leak surfaces

By D.A. Wilkinson

A leak of confidential information may result in a suspension.

SALEM — The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation will investigate a leak from within the Salem Police Department that was used to smear a candidate.

Chief Robert Floor confirmed Tuesday that BCII will handle the internal investigation.

Meanwhile, officers will continue their investigation into the original dispute.

Caroline Hergenrother of Salem, a Republican, is running for the 1st House district seat against incumbent state Rep. Linda Bolon, D-Columbiana.

Hergenrother and her husband, Kurt, were involved in a dispute with several people at Stooges Tavern at about 12:55 a.m. Sept. 21.

The four-sentence report states there was an incident inside that led to an altercation outside.

The report added that police obtained the names of one group involved, then advised them to leave the area.

The report does not give the names of anyone involved.

Internal police documents were then leaked.

Floor said that such documents are used by the department during an investigation. Investigative information is not considered public records.

Leaking the information could result in a suspension, the chief said.

PolitickerOH.com states that information that was part of the investigation was sent to its site by a blogger who is a communications consultant for the Democratic House caucus.

The Web site states that Hergenrother was involved in a bar fight last weekend.

She said she and friends went to the bar after a wedding.

The people involved in the incident tried to assault them when she and her husband left the bar. Her husband, described as a large and tall man, had no problem defending her or himself.

Wonkette.com, a Washington, D.C., gossip Web site, had a number of off-colored posts about Hergenrother.

Hergenrother said the situation doesn’t affect the issues in the race.

Bolon did not return a call seeking comment.

wilkinson@vindy.com