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Ohio BCI, sheriff’s office had been investigating Jamrozik since May
By Sarah Lehr
LOWELLVILLE
A representative from the Ohio Attorney General’s Office on Wednesday confirmed the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation has been probing possible criminal conduct on the part of village police Chief Richard Jamrozik since May.
Jill Del Greco, a spokeswoman for the Ohio AG’s office, said the ongoing investigation began at the request of the Mahoning County Sheriff’s Office. The initial investigation involved purported nonviolent criminal conduct and was initially unrelated to domestic violence allegations that surfaced against Jamrozik this week, Del Greco said.
Del Greco said it is “not uncommon” for the BCI, a division of the attorney general’s office, to investigate a public official at the request of a local law-enforcement agency.
On Tuesday, the Mahoning County Common Pleas Court issued a temporary-protection order against Jamrozik. The woman who petitioned the court for the order claimed Jamrozik beat her repeatedly and has threatened to kill her.
The Ohio BCI has since absorbed the domestic-violence allegations into its ongoing joint investigation of Jamrozik.
As a result of the temporary-protection order, Mayor James Iudiciani Sr. placed Jamrozik on paid administrative leave Tuesday pending the investigation.
Jamrozik did not return Vindicator requests to comment.
Del Greco said officials did not inform the village that BCI had opened an investigation into Jamrozik because, initially, the investigation was covert.
Del Greco said, however, she did not believe the investigation would be jeopardized because it is now publicly acknowledged.
The Campbell Police Department began its own preliminary investigation after Jamrozik’s ex-girlfriend contacted the department earlier this month, police Chief Drew Rauzan said. After a meeting with BCI officials Wednesday morning, Campbell has since halted its investigation and turned the matter over to the state agency, Rauzan said.
Jamrozik became Lowellville’s full-time police chief in November 2015. He worked as an investigator for the county coroner’s office from 2002 through 2015.