ASHVILLE, Ohio — A Pickaway County police officer fired years ago from a nearby agency for falsifying official records remains on full duty, continues to operate body cameras and upload video evidence, while being listed on the Pickaway County Prosecutor’s Brady/Giglio list of officers whose credibility must be disclosed to defense lawyers, internal records show.
The issue is plaguing the Circleville Law Director’s office on handling of cases and is at the forefront of many active-ongoing prosecutions, causing the city law director to place many criminal cases on hold.
Officer Michael Hedrick was terminated by the Circleville Police Department during his probationary period after a sergeant determined he used white-out to alter breath-alcohol instrument check records, changing simulator serial numbers to conceal that he had tested the wrong equipment. A 266-page redacted personnel file obtained by the Guardian documents the 2014 incident as “falsely altering an official document” and “fraudulently altering” public records.
Despite that history, Hedrick joined the Ashville Police Department in September of last year, and prior, he was a deputy reserve who also worked part-time at the Pickaway County Sheriff’s Office. While he is actively employed at Ashville — and despite his compromised integrity and past, Hedrick continues to work the road in Ashville. It has raised concerns for prosecutors inside the Cirlceville Law Director’s office after records showed that Hedrick was still actively recording enforcement activity and uploading Axon body-camera and fleet-camera videos as recently as January 2026.
When the law director’s office asked for evidence in a criminal case, body camera video was sent to them from Hedrick, who was accessing the department’s evidence system in his routine-duties as an officer. Somewhere during this exchange, a flag was raised by the Chief of Ashville with the law director’s office.
How did we get here?
But first, let’s flashback to 2021 when then-Prosecutor Judy Wolford placed Hedrick on the Brady list. Wolford wrote in a memo, “Recently you shared with me some concerns regarding the above individual and his truthfulness. As you know, I recently attended a continuing education seminar in Cleveland. Brady and Giglio were topics at the seminar. Based on my research and the information provided by your office, we have determined Michael Hendrick to be Brady impaired. The Pickaway County Prosecutor’s Office is required by law to obtain and to disclose to the defense any and all potential impeachment evidence relative to its witnesses. Potential impeachment evidence includes, but is not limited to, any disciplinary actions against officers and any instances involving dishonesty or a lack of candor, or a demonstration of bias. The Pickaway County Prosecutor’s Office has determined that Michael Hendrick has potential impeachment evidence that this Office must disclose to opposing counsel. He is now marked as Brady impaired in our system.”
Fast forward to when the evidence was being sent to Circleville’s Law Director earlier this a year, the law director wrote a similar memo, asking for information on any officer that may be a concern for Brady.
“The Circleville Law Director’s Office policies require an annual advisement to all law enforcement agencies of our discovery requirements under Ohio and Federal law. This letter constitutes the 2026 advisement that this Office is obligated to obtain from your Department any potential impeachment material regarding your law enforcement staff,” the letter from the law director said. “This would include any discipline history involving dishonest behavior or any misconduct that would damage the officer’s credibility or reputation for truthfulness, or that demonstrates a bias. It would also include any finding of facts and law stemming from testimony of officers. Prosecutors are constitutionally required to disclose that evidence to the defense. Below are examples of such. Please be assured that the Circleville Law Director’s Office will seek to prevent the admission of potential impeachment evidence of officers when supported under Ohio Law. It is imperative that the Circleville Law Director’s Office receive from your Department any and all material that we are required to provide to the defense. The failure to provide potential impeachment evidence, even if unintentional, could jeopardize a conviction and could prevent our office from further prosecution of a case. It could also subject our prosecutors to disciplinary sanctions for their failure to provide impeachment material, even if they were unaware it existed.”
Emails between Circleville’s Law Director’s office and Ashville Police Chief Bryan Cline show that prosecutors had already flagged Hedrick for Brady/Giglio disclosure.
On Dec. 3, 2025, legal assistant Wanda Gay sent Cline an email with the subject line “BRADY ADVISEMENT” and attached a file titled “BRADY ADVISEMENT ASHVILLE.pdf.”
In a follow-up on Jan. 6, Cline wrote to Gay:
“Officer Michael Hedrick is on a list with the Pickaway County Prosecutors Office, but I am trying to figure out why. I have not had time to get with them as of yet but will try as soon as I can. From my understanding what they have is just incidents that would be normal department discipline or training issues not a Brady Issue. But that’s all I know of right now.”
Gay replied the same day: “Ok. Thank you. If you get updates, please let me know so my files are accurate.”
What happens now?
On Feb. 3, Circleville Law Director Kendra C. Kinney emailed Ashville’s outside counsel Brian M. Zets and Pickaway County Prosecutor Jayme Fountain to schedule a phone call. Kinney wrote:
“I am contacting you to set a meeting or phone call with County Prosecutor Jayme Fountain and myself regarding the Ashville Police Department and Brady material regarding an officer. We would also like an time line for return of officers who are out because of the shooting as mixed messages are being sent on return dates and this materially affects our offices.”
Zets responded that a phone call would be easier and suggested this coming Thursday for the call.
The emails make no reference to any restriction on Hedrick’s duties, despite his history and name on the Brady list. Department records and Axon metadata show he continued uploading evidence and working the road weeks after the Brady advisement emails began.
Brady/Giglio lists are maintained by prosecutors to track officers with documented dishonesty, excessive force findings or other impeachment material that must be turned over to the defense under U.S. Supreme Court precedent. Once an officer is listed, prosecutors are required to disclose the information in any case in which the officer is a witness.
To complicate matters, Cline is out on leave because of a January shooting while newly-hired officer Chris Hempstead is the acting-police chief. Hempstead might be new to Ashville, but he recently retired with more than 30 years in law enforcement at the Pickaway County Sheriff’s Office and Circleville Police Department.
Ashville Police Department officials did not respond to multiple requests for comment on Hedrick’s status, the department’s Brady policy or whether any restrictions were placed on his duties.
The Pickaway County Prosecutor’s Office also declined to comment on specific officers listed or the ongoing coordination with Ashville.
The Guardian did not receive a response from the Cicleville Law Director.