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(LISBON,
Ohio) -- Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine announced today that the former
director of the Columbiana County Drug Task Force has been sentenced to serve
time in prison after pleading guilty to crimes committed while overseeing the
task force in 2011 and 2012.
During a
hearing in Columbiana County Common Pleas Court this afternoon, visiting Judge
Richard Reinbold sentenced Daniel Downard, 42, to serve a sentence of 18 months in prison.
Downard, of
Lisbon, pleaded guilty in November to a bill of information on
felony charges of theft in office, unauthorized use of property, and attempted
tampering with evidence.
"The
investigation found that the defendant used his role as the task force director to manipulate task force funds and records for his own personal benefit," said Attorney General DeWine. "This is a clear example of public corruption and misuse of public fund for which violators must be held accountable."
The
investigation, which was conducted by authorities with the Attorney General's
Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI), found that Downard gave himself an
unauthorized raise and used task force funds to pay for a cell phone that he provided to a family member for personal use. The investigation also
found that Downard submitted false documentation to the court regarding the
destruction of evidence.
As part of the plea, Downard was ordered to surrender his peace officer certificate, which prevents him from serving as a peace officer in Ohio in the future.
The case was
prosecuted by attorneys with Attorney General DeWine's Special Prosecutions
Section, which can be called on to prosecute major felony cases such as
homicides, sex offenses against children, white-collar crimes, and public
corruption. In 2014, attorneys with the
Special Prosecutions Section opened more than 400 cases in 69 counties.
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