CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A Cleveland police detective accused of misusing a national law enforcement database was arrested this morning.

Morris Vowell, 47, of Cleveland, is charged with unauthorized use of property, a fifth-degree felony. He was released on a personal bond and the case was sent to Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court, where it will be presented to a grand jury.

Vowell, hired 20 years ago in March, had been assigned to the Domestic Violence Unit. He was arrested at the Justice Center and suspended without pay.

An investigation by the police department's Internal Affairs Unit found that Vowell used the Law Enforcement Automated Data System, known as LEADS, to make "unauthorized inquiries and subsequently use the information for personal use."

He was gathering information on his son, Morris Vowell Jr., 23, of Cleveland, who is charged with burglary, theft, safe cracking, receiving stolen property, possessing criminal tools and having weapons after a felony conviction. Vowell Jr. served a year in prison for car theft in 2005.

After the detective's criminal proceedings, Safety Director Marty Flask will schedule a disciplinary hearing.