Police chief charged with menacing, covering up assault

PUT-IN-BAY – The village police chief was charged Friday with threatening one of his officers with a gun in 2012 and covering up allegations that a Put-in-Bay police cadet was raped in 2003.

Put-in-Bay Police Chief Robert "Ric" Lampela, 53, also was charged with lying to Ottawa County Sheriff's Office officials while they were investigating those allegations.

Lampela faces one count of aggravated menacing, one count of dereliction of duty and two counts of falsification. If convicted, he could face a maximum penalty of one year and nine months in jail.

A summons was issued for Lampela to attend a court hearing March 25 in Ottawa County Municipal Court.

Lampela and Mayor Margaret Scarpelli were not available for comment. It is not clear whether Lampela is currently running the department.

The police department deferred comment on Friday to the village's legal counsel, George C. Wilber of Port Clinton. Wilber was not available.

Village Councilman Jeff Koehler said he was unaware of the charges but said despite being misdemeanors, they are serious for a police chief.

"Anything in this capacity of alleged wrongdoing usually results in a suspension," Koehler said.

Put-in-Bay Village Council meets at 9 a.m. March 9, and Lampela's status could be discussed then.

The sheriff's office began investigating Put-in-Bay police in August after it received multiple complaints about officers' conduct. Sheriff Steve Levorchick asked the Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation, an arm of the Ohio Attorney General's Office, to assist during the process.

No other officers were charged, and unless authorities receive new evidence, no more charges will be filed, said Dan Tierney, Ohio attorney general's spokesman.

Put-in-Bay police officers' actions fell far short of what was expected, wrote Margaret Tamaro, special prosecutor for the Ohio Attorney General's Office in her report on the case. Criminal charges were not levied because nothing improper occurred; citing unprofessional conduct is not a crime, she wrote.

There was a flagrant violation of local policy because locals made complaints to Scarpelli instead of the police because they felt the police would not treat them fairly.

"There appeared to be a pattern of inconsistency in the enforcement of the laws at Put-in-Bay, and disparate treatment of individuals," Tomaro wrote.

She recommended proper leadership and training to prevent further unprofessional conduct from occurring.

The department, located on South Bass Island, utilizes a large number of young first-time officers during the spring and summer months to account for a large increase in the summer tourism population.

The menacing charge against Lampela resulted after allegations were made that Lampela brandished a firearm at Put-in-Bay Police Officer Jeff Herald while the two discussed the Bill of Rights. A nearby officer unstrapped his duty holster, ready to draw his gun due to concern for Herald's safety, according to Tomaro's report.

Lampela was charged with dereliction of duty because authorities allege he refused to allow a police report to be filed in 2003 after two Put-in-Bay officers were accused of sexually assaulting a police cadet at an employee dorm on South Bass Island. Authorities allege Lampela ignored the assault allegations to prevent negative publicity for the police department.

The falsification charges resulted after he told investigators that two people — whose initials are listed in the report — never officially reported the sexual assault to him.

Put-in-Bay Resort owner Mark Mathys, who has publicly stated he feels his businesses and employees have been unfairly targeted by Put-in-Bay police, said he was relieved the investigation was over and was happy the sheriff treated it with respect.

Three of Mathys' employees were arrested in September 2013 in what he called a "wholly unjustified" violation of civil rights during an incident at the resort. The case against one employee was dropped, and the other two were acquitted at trial.

"I'm glad for the people up there. Now the healing can begin," Mathys said. "I'm very thankful for the sheriff. He did a great job."

cshoup@gannett.com

419-734-7504

Twitter: @CraigShoupNH

Charges against Put-in-Bay Police Chief Ric Lampela

• One count of aggravated menacing: He is charged with threatening one of his officers with a gun in 2012.

• One county of dereliction of duty: He is charged with not allowing a police report to be filed regarding allegations that two Put-in-Bay police officers raped a police cadet in 2003.

• Two counts of falsification: He is charged with lying to the Ottawa County Sheriff's Office when he said that two people did not officially report the sexual assault.