Vienna officer suspended without pay

By SAMANTHA PHILLIPS

sphillips@vindy.com

VIENNA

Township trustees have suspended township police Sgt. Michael Sheehy without pay for 15 days, effective today.

Trustees will have a hearing to determine Sheehy’s employment status during an executive session at the next regular meeting at 7 p.m. March 4.

Sheehy, who a Trumbull County grand jury indicted last week on charges including drug possession and theft, will be notified of the hearing. He will be given the chance to answer the charges he faces – misfeasance, malfeasance and misconduct.

Last week, township police Lt. Brian Darbey filed a criminal complaint in the Girard Municipal Court stating Sheehy had taken two AR-15 rifles worth $2,400 from the police department and used a lockout kit from the department to gain access into a police vehicle and take $700.

Trustees on Monday night said the board will make no further statements on the situation during two separate investigations by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation. Any questions about the alleged incident at Mathews High School should be directed to the county prosecutor or the BCI, said Trustee Heidi Brown.

Trustees clarified investigations – one probe is into allegations made at Mathews High School, where Sheehy had worked as a resource officer, and the other is into the alleged incidents at the police department.

Township resident Mary Swift asked township police Chief Bob Ludt if anyone had brought to his attention in the past several months if there were any other issues that needed to be addressed with Sheehy.

Ludt answered there wasn’t.

Resident Matt Zoccole asked why action wasn’t taken by the trustees or police after allegations were made involving Sheehy and Mathews High School in mid-December. Ludt said he couldn’t comment because of the pending investigation but said he followed township procedure.

Zoccole believes there were accusations involving Sheehy that were brought to the department before December. He recommended the township create a citizens advisory board.

Trustees said Sheehy was taken off his assignment as resource officer at the Mathews school district at the request of school officials when allegations were made in December. He was not assigned to any road or patrol duties during the BCI investigation, trustees said.

Trustees approved hiring Theresa Hunter-Hartman from the Hartford Township Police Department to serve as Mathews’ DARE (Drug Abuse and Resistance Education) officer at $15.50 per hour to replace Sheehy.