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By Phil Trexler
Beacon Journal staff writer
POSTED: 06:02 p.m. EST, Nov 11, 2009
A prominent state crime lab investigator has been placed on leave amid accusations that he stole nicotine patches and dog food from a Stow grocery store.
William O'Connor, an investigator with the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation, pleaded not guilty to the petty theft charge Tuesday in Stow Municipal Court.
He is free on a $500 personal bond and due back in court Dec. 4. The misdemeanor charge carries a maximum six-month jail term.
O'Connor did not return a phone message left at his Hudson home Wednesday. His defense attorney, George Keith, declined comment.
O'Connor, the lead investigator in the prosecution of five Summit County deputies charged in the 2006 death of a jail inmate, was arrested Friday night as he was leaving the Giant Eagle supermarket on Norton Road.
A police report indicates he attempted to exit the store with a bag of Iams dog food worth $11.99 and Nicoderm CQ nicotine patches valued at $47.99.
Police said O'Connor had gone through a checkout line and paid for two Macy's gift cards, but he did not pay for the dog food and patches.
Holly Hollingsworth, a spokeswoman for the Ohio attorney general's office, which oversees BCII, said O'Connor informed his supervisor of the arrest on Monday.
Under the terms of his union's contract, O'Connor was placed on paid leave pending an internal investigation.
After his arrest, O'Connor was booked and photographed by Stow police. During questioning with officers, he said he worked for the Ohio Department of Transportation as a laborer, according to the department's arrest report.
He gave a Richfield accountant's phone number as his work number.
It was O'Connor's investigation that led to criminal indictments against five deputies in the death of inmate Mark D. McCullaugh Jr. of Akron.
One deputy was acquitted, and charges were eventually dropped against the others. The county last week agreed to pay McCullaugh's family more than $860,000 to settle their wrongful-death lawsuit.
The FBI and the U.S. attorney general's office continue to investigate the death for possible civil-rights violations.
O'Connor's latest assignment is heading an ongoing investigation into possible misdealings by former Cuyahoga County Sheriff Gerald McFaul, who resigned earlier this year.
Phil Trexler can be reached at 330-996-3717 or ptrexler@thebeaconjournal.com.
A prominent state crime lab investigator has been placed on leave amid accusations that he stole nicotine patches and dog food from a Stow grocery store.
William O'Connor, an investigator with the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation, pleaded not guilty to the petty theft charge Tuesday in Stow Municipal Court.
He is free on a $500 personal bond and due back in court Dec. 4. The misdemeanor charge carries a maximum six-month jail term.
O'Connor did not return a phone message left at his Hudson home Wednesday. His defense attorney, George Keith, declined comment.
O'Connor, the lead investigator in the prosecution of five Summit County deputies charged in the 2006 death of a jail inmate, was arrested Friday night as he was leaving the Giant Eagle supermarket on Norton Road.
A police report indicates he attempted to exit the store with a bag of Iams dog food worth $11.99 and Nicoderm CQ nicotine patches valued at $47.99.
Police said O'Connor had gone through a checkout line and paid for two Macy's gift cards, but he did not pay for the dog food and patches.
Holly Hollingsworth, a spokeswoman for the Ohio attorney general's office, which oversees BCII, said O'Connor informed his supervisor of the arrest on Monday.
Under the terms of his union's contract, O'Connor was placed on paid leave pending an internal investigation.
After his arrest, O'Connor was booked and photographed by Stow police. During questioning with officers, he said he worked for the Ohio Department of Transportation as a laborer, according to the department's arrest report.
He gave a Richfield accountant's phone number as his work number.
It was O'Connor's investigation that led to criminal indictments against five deputies in the death of inmate Mark D. McCullaugh Jr. of Akron.
One deputy was acquitted, and charges were eventually dropped against the others. The county last week agreed to pay McCullaugh's family more than $860,000 to settle their wrongful-death lawsuit.
The FBI and the U.S. attorney general's office continue to investigate the death for possible civil-rights violations.
O'Connor's latest assignment is heading an ongoing investigation into possible misdealings by former Cuyahoga County Sheriff Gerald McFaul, who resigned earlier this year.
Phil Trexler can be reached at 330-996-3717 or ptrexler@thebeaconjournal.com.
Comments
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new york, ny
Posted 06:25 PM, 11/11/2009
OK; Nicotine patches,$$$ but dog food? And he paid for his Macy's gift cards. It almost sounds like an honest mistake, unless he could actually conceal a bag of dog food and a box of patches. Or maybe concealment is not necessary, not sure of Ohio shoplifting laws.
AKRON, oh
Posted 06:44 PM, 11/11/2009
this is what you so called good law abiding people in the area call good police work.these low life prosecutors and lawless cops abound a lot more than they would make you believe. Everything a prosecutor or a cop says must be questioned and suspect. after all they are getting paid for making arrest and getting convictions.
Green, OH
Posted 07:14 PM, 11/11/2009
Don't judge too quickly. His actions and the odd answers he gave to some of the questions during booking just might be an indication of a medical condition like the onset of Alzheimers or perhaps a brain tumor or mental confusion from prescription medication problems.
Akron, Oh
Posted 08:14 PM, 11/11/2009
I am really starting to question the prosecution of the five deputies. Now that 2 of the prosecutors main witnesses have been arrested lying or had lied on a police report. Makes you wonder how much they may have lied in the trial of the deputy. I would be really worried if I was involved in the investigation in Cuyahoga County that he is investigating.
Arnoldsburg, WV
Posted 08:17 PM, 11/11/2009
@ Class of 68, It does all sound weird, huh. We'll give him the benefit of the doubt, for now, even though the system wouldn't give an private citizen the same benefit. However, if a medical condition is not the reason or a honest mistake, then that makes him a liar and a thief, huh.
Arnoldsburg, WV
Posted 08:20 PM, 11/11/2009
Also, if his memory is that bad or he has that bad of a medical condition, then he probably really shouldn't be in the position he's in at his job.
Akron, Oh
Posted 08:24 PM, 11/11/2009
Todd65 your one to talk about giving the benefit of the doubt. People didn't want to give the deputies the benefit of the doubt, even after one was tried and aquited. When does it stop and who decides who gets the benefit and who doesn't.
Akron, Oh
Posted 08:27 PM, 11/11/2009
even if the shoplifting was an "accident" lying where he worked and his work phone number is unexcusable.... and that is what makes him a lier "todd65"
cuyahoga falls, oh
Posted 08:33 PM, 11/11/2009
There is something wrong with this guy no doubt. This case had no legs from the beginning. Five deputies were put through the ringer and yet all were found either not guilty or charges dropped. I want to see this guy lie his way out of this one. Hopefully the person who investigates this crime is more competent than the shoplifter was.
Akron, Oh
Posted 08:39 PM, 11/11/2009
no one thinks that this potentially could be retalliation for testifiying against police? Too far of a stretch of the imagination? really?
Akron, Oh
Posted 08:51 PM, 11/11/2009
yeah "i smell a rat" I'd say that is a stretch. Really a misdemeanor shoplifting, I think if it was retalliation it would be for something worse then petty theft. Or maybe its just plain and simple what goes around comes around.
Akron, Oh
Posted 08:56 PM, 11/11/2009
yeah "I smell a rat" petty theft for retalliation?really? I'm not buying that! Maybe its plain and simple karma what goes around comes around.
new york, ny
Posted 09:01 PM, 11/11/2009
Class of 68 mentions Alzheimers,brain tumor,med problems?!? I read this man is currently handling a huge case in Cuyahoga County. There are people with their future in his hands. A little troublesome to me.
Green, Oh
Posted 09:20 PM, 11/11/2009
an honest mistake huh? I don't think so. How do you only have 4 things in your cart and forget to scan the 2 large items. Maybe he can work out a plea deal and get to keep the dog food. This way his dogs are fed since he will probably be out of a job. Perhaps he can get some Obama money!!LOL
Green, Oh
Posted 09:32 PM, 11/11/2009
Prominent investigator, really this country is in big trouble with people like this.
Green, Oh
Posted 09:35 PM, 11/11/2009
And Big Apple Guy would you really want your future in the hands of some lying waste like this.
new york, ny
Posted 09:42 PM, 11/11/2009
@big mama D That's my concern. Some do have their future in his hands. Scary!
Green, Oh
Posted 09:43 PM, 11/11/2009
Is this who the feds are going to use on this case
http://www.ohio.com/news/break_news/69798692.html
Posted 10:23 PM, 11/11/2009
"no one thinks that this potentially could be retalliation for testifiying against police? Too far of a stretch of the imagination? really?"
For this to possibly be true, the LP department at Giant Eagle would have to be in on it since they are the ones who witnessed him, caught him and called the police to report him. Why is everything always a conspiracy around here?
akron, oh
Posted 02:10 AM, 11/12/2009
Is he the same guy involved in the Cuyahoga County investigation where the fired 3 people after they were accused of not cooperating and just hired back after the new sheriff said that allegation wasn't true? He lied about his personal information to mislead the officers who processed him (who have no stake in the other investigation), so where's the conspiracy?
I'd also like to know if he just strolled out with the items in his cart or actually attempted to hide the nicotine patches? Either way, he's nothing more than a liar and a thief and I'm sure it's not the first time for him in either category. I'd love to see him in jail just like other people arrested for the same thing so he can see what it's like. Trash who's probably lied his entire career!
Akron, OH
Posted 02:40 AM, 11/12/2009
If it was an honest mistake, I'm sure he would have said "I'm an investigator for the state of Ohio" and it never would have gone this far.
However, it sounds like it's most likely true and he lied about his employer and phone number, hoping now one would figure out who he was? I mean, if you were the lead investigator for BCI working on corruption cases in Cuyahoga County would you want people to find out you were a common thief yourself?? I think not....
Stow, Oh
Posted 07:00 AM, 11/12/2009
Paying for some items while attempting to steal others is a classic shoplifting manuever. This is the first time that this guy has been caught.
doylestown, oh
Posted 07:33 AM, 11/12/2009
maybe he forgot he had the items in his cart? they didnt say if he hid the items or if maybe they were in the bottom of his cart, sorry folks but that has happened to me. never been in trouble for it but have gotten to my car and realized i had pop or something under the cart maybe thats what happened you never know this could be an accident we need details
Canton, OH
Posted 08:32 AM, 11/12/2009
weird. When i read the headline i thought he actually stole some evidence from the crime lab or something.
stow, oh
Posted 08:54 AM, 11/12/2009
big apples guy-
it was not an honest mistake, i know someone at the store, he took the patches out of the box to conceal them, the dog food might have been a mistake, but he was intending to steal the patches.
Akron, Oh
Posted 08:56 AM, 11/12/2009
Petty theft--I think he can be forgiven. Many of us men get a misdemeanor once or twice in our lifetime heck you haven't lived life if you don't have a few misdemeanors. He's probably one of those introverts who get lost in thought and forgot to pay for the items.
Akron, , OH
Posted 08:58 AM, 11/12/2009
He stole his credibility!! At his age one would wonder about much of the past..
stow, oh
Posted 09:08 AM, 11/12/2009
he took the patches out of the package and conceled them on his person, enough said he attempted to steal these, he was being followed by an in store detective
stow, oh
Posted 09:09 AM, 11/12/2009
i know someone at the store who was working when they stopped him, the dog food maybe was an honest mistake, but the patches were not
Akron, Oh
Posted 09:12 AM, 11/12/2009
Big Apple has a good point, something is amiss...chemical imbalance ?..just given him the benefit of doubt on this instance...I'm not the Judge...just one of a thousand jurors...
Toledo, Oh
Posted 09:24 AM, 11/12/2009
Who cares...really?
Cuyahoga Falls, OH
Posted 09:36 AM, 11/12/2009
Maybe his folks didn't know he was a smoker and he was trying to hide them. lol.
Posted 10:19 AM, 11/12/2009
those new nicotine patches are difficult to keep lit
Posted 10:20 AM, 11/12/2009
he has a mustache, so he is hiding something
hudson , oh
Posted 10:24 AM, 11/12/2009
Romans 3:10---There is none righteous, no not one.
We are sinners in the eyes of a holy God.
Let him is with out sin cast the first stone.
Munroe Falls, Oh
Posted 10:46 AM, 11/12/2009
If he is found to have been misleading investigators for not telling them what he done then he could be charged for deception.
cuyahoga falls, oh
Posted 11:05 AM, 11/12/2009
Who will investigate the investigator? If he lied about the nicotine patches how do we know he hasn't lied in the past when innocent lives were in jeopardy.
Cuyahoga Falls, OH
Posted 02:20 PM, 11/12/2009
-and I bet he picks his nose, too, yankee clipper.
Canal Fulton, Oh
Posted 06:55 PM, 11/12/2009
I cant believe this made the front page !!! I honestly cant believe even half of you who already have him guilty! Take a breath people.
akron, oh
Posted 07:23 PM, 11/12/2009
Hey Peeps, this guy is willing to step on anyone, lie, cheat and steal in order to further his career and has done it for years. He'd throw you in jail in a New York minute based on lies. Don't think there's gonna be much sympathy for someone who put himself on a pedestal and then gets knocked off. This is only the first time he GOT CAUGHT, not the first time he's done it.
Posted 11:51 PM, 11/13/2009
I know alot about him. He's mortified his youngest daughter-who's still in school-and I feel also sorry for his other daughter and his almost ex-wife. He thinks he's above the law most of the time. Seems uncanny that he'd get arrested for this "minor" infraction of the law. Guess he ticked someone off, not to get "protected" this time. And I heard, as OSUfan guy said, he had the patches "on him".
Bedford, Oh
Posted 12:00 AM, 11/16/2009
Hey Monica,why are you bringing this guys family into this, they had nothing to do with this. Boy for a small town Hudson sure has some big ---wipes !
Bedford, Oh
Posted 01:05 AM, 11/16/2009
People in "SNOHIO" sure don't have much to do, except persecute peoples families when another gets in trouble, must be the winter cabin fever ?
kalamazoo, mi
Posted 09:35 AM, 11/19/2009
I know O'connor. He's a good man & he's put a lot of bad people behind bars. Before coming to OH he was a homicide detective in Miami FL. This seems to me to be an embarrasing glitch in what has been a distinguished career, and I hope people wait to see what happens as the facts of this case come out before rushing to judgement. I can imagine he may have had good reason for providing "misinformation" since he was involved in an on-going investigation of people in the criminal justice system.
kalamazoo, mi
Posted 04:29 PM, 11/19/2009
O'Connor is a good man who's served his community well. It's amazing how fast people will come out of the woodwork to throw stones at someone like this. He definately seems to have made a mistake, but is this in the same league as DUI or assault??? No way!!
Bedford, Oh
Posted 02:59 AM, 11/26/2009
DUI or Assault ? "SAME LEAGUE" ? Mr First not last, "ANYONE" can get a DUI, "anyone" ! All you have to do is leave a party,after having 3 beers or drinks this Christmas,and your over the limit, how many times have people done that, even cops, even YOU ! As far as assault goes, maybe you punched someone in self defense,and you end up getting charged, it can happen easily to "anyone" ! I wish him luck next month, but these are pretty poor examples,ref his case,don't you think ? How about Robbery, Rape, or Burglary don't you think those would be better examples ? Duh, some law expert you are !!!
Bedford, Oh
Posted 03:01 AM, 11/26/2009
P.S. DUI and assault ,are also misdemeanors, DUH !!!
Bedford, Oh
Posted 03:28 AM, 11/26/2009
NathanG
Akron, Oh
Posted 08:56 AM, 11/12/2009
Petty theft--I think he can be forgiven. Many of us men get a misdemeanor once or twice in our lifetime heck you haven't lived life if you don't have a few misdemeanors. He's probably one of those introverts who get lost in thought and forgot to pay for the items.
kalamazoo, mi
Posted 02:27 PM, 02/01/2010
Hey Big Fred, Petty theft of ~$50 is NOT equivalent to DUI or assault. I suggest you consult your local sentancing guidelines, and perhaps brush up the potential outcomes of petty theft, vs. DUI or assault which can both, potentially, lead to injury--and are therefore are judged more harshly. DUH!!
