WASHINGTON COURT HOUSE, Ohio — A Washington Court House police officer has been suspended for two weeks after a superior found him behind a locked office door with a female county employee, allegedly in what has been described as a “compromising situation,” according to information obtained by the Guardian.
The Guardian is not naming the officer or female employee at this time pending the outcome of a union grievance the officer has filed challenging the suspension.
According to accounts of the incident, a superior in the police department knocked on a locked office door and, receiving no answer, used a master key to enter the room to retrieve an item for a local school’s career day. When the superior entered, the lights were reportedly off, and the officer was allegedly seen adjusting his pants near the zipper and button area, with the female county employee standing within arm’s length of him.
The officer told investigators he was changing out of clothes he had worn to a court appearance earlier in the day, and that the county employee was in the office to assist with a routine case. A county spokesman said it is not uncommon for county employees to assist officers with case matters at the police department.
The department launched an internal affairs investigation following the incident. The officer maintained throughout the inquiry that he was changing clothes and that not sexual was occurring.
The female employee said she was told by the officer that he intended to change his clothes, but the officer allegedly told her there was no need for her to leave and instructed her to simply turn around.
While it has been alleged the two were caught in a “compromising position,” the accuracy of that characterization remains in dispute and up for interpretation.
At the conclusion of the internal investigation, the department handed down a two-week suspension. The officer has vowed to fight the discipline through a grievance filed with his union.
Members of Washington Court House City Council have been briefed on the matter.
This is a developing story. More details will follow as they become available.
