COLUMBUS, Ohio — The City of Circleville fired a probationary officer and an acting deputy chief after an investigation into alleged sexual misconduct earlier this year.
The probationary officer was fired Nov. 5 and acting Deputy Chief Jon Farrelly was fired one day later, according to a statement from Director of Public Safety Robert Ware II.
A citizen filed a complaint against the probationary officer earlier this year and acting Police Chief Kenny Fisher put him on leave on Aug. 1 during an investigation.
The complainant, who was under investigation by the officer for criminal misconduct, said the officer was engaging in inappropriate behavior with an individual while on duty. Ware said the complainant knew the individual the officer was alleged to have been involved with. The officer was ordered not to have any contact with the individual.
Despite the order, Ware said the officer was seen parked in an alley behind the individual's house and left when another officer drove past and saw his cruiser in the alley. During another incident, the officer gave the individual a ride home in his cruiser from a gas station, which is against department policies.
The officer denied having any sexual activity with the individual while on duty and a polygraph exam determined he was telling the truth. However, Ware said an investigation determined the officer disobeyed orders and violated city policy.
Allegations against Farrelly surfaced as detectives went to interview the individual associated with the complaint against the officer. The individual alleged Farrelly of sexual misconduct and asked why it was not being addressed.
An investigation could not determine if the sexual misconduct allegations against Farrelly were true, but Ware said it's likely that sexual advances and inappropriate messages and/or images were exchanged on and off duty between Farrelly and the individual.
However, during an investigator's interview, Farrelly admitted to having relations with a different person. He admitted to having the person as a passenger in a city vehicle on multiple occasions while he was on and off duty. Additionally, he admitted to having sex in the assigned work vehicle.
The city determined Farrelly violated several city and police department policies and he was fired.
"The actions of these two individuals are not indicative of the standards of the City of Circleville and the Circleville Police Department. They are a direct reflection of them and not the dedicated and professional staff that are working hard to provide you with the highest level of service you so richly deserve," Ware said in a statement.
