Ex-Ohio detective sentenced after pleading to tampering charge

FREMONT, Ohio (AP) — A former Ohio sheriff’s detective accused of mishandling a homicide investigation has received two years in prison for tampering with evidence.

A visiting judge in Sandusky County told Sean O’Connell on Thursday she was skeptical of O’Connell’s apology to the family of Heather Bogle, whose body was found in the trunk of a car in 2015. The former Sandusky County detective said in court he was sorry if he took the wrong approach during the investigation.

O’Connell pleaded guilty in late July. Facing discipline, he resigned in September 2016.

Judge Patricia Cosgrove said O’Connell failed to follow important leads and relied on information he knew wasn’t true.

A co-worker of Bogle’s was charged with aggravated murder in 2017 after different investigators took over case. He faces trial next month.