IBERIA, Ohio — The Morrow County Sheriff has brought in an outside law enforcement agency to conduct an investigation after serious allegations were made against a deputy who went to the wrong house for a wellness check call.
The incident happened Aug. 18 when dispatch received a call that a 10-year-old girl had sent texts to several people that she felt unsafe at the house she was at along Bucyrus Street. The deputy sent to the scene wrote in his report that he could not find the address number, but his GPS told him it was the correct house.
According to a report from the Morrow County Sheriff, the deputy made contact with the people living at the house his GPS told him was the correct location. He explained the call to the woman who answered the door and then she went to get her 11-year-old daughter and left the front door cracked. The responding deputy heard a man yelling inside and believed it could be an active domestic situation and went into the house.
The deputy notes that the man inside became agitated and yelled several times. The woman said that the man had a history of drug use but was no longer using.
The people living in the house claim the deputy became violent with the man inside, injuring him. The deputy’s report makes no mention of a physical altercation.
The deputy stepped outside to speak with another deputy when the two were informed by dispatch they were at the wrong house and the correct house was across the street.
They have now retained a Marion attorney and did not speak with 10TV about the situation.
10TV did speak briefly with attorney J.C. Ratliff Wednesday afternoon about the situation. He said there are concerns the wellness check call lasted three hours and questions about how the mix-up happened. They are waiting for the deputy’s body camera video to be released.
Morrow County Sheriff John Hinton released a statement late Wednesday afternoon about the allegations.
“The Morrow County Sheriff’s Office is aware of troubling allegations concerning its August 18, 2024 response to Bucyrus Street in Iberia. As Sheriff, I take all allegations of potential wrongdoing by my deputies seriously. I have requested the assistance of a neutral, outside law enforcement agency to conduct an investigation into the alleged incident of August 18, 2024. The body camera footage of the alleged incident will also be made available once all applicable Ohio Public Records laws on disclosure have been met. The Morrow County Sheriff’s Office remains committed to protecting the rights and safety of all those it serves,” read Hinton’s statement.