MOUNT GILEAD
A police officer already facing charges, including one count of theft in office, is back in custody.
Joseph Q. Hughes, 21, formerly of the Mount Gilead Police Department, has been charged with five more felonies, states a press release issued Tuesday by the Morrow County Sheriff’s Office.
Hughes posted bond after his original arrest on July 8 and was immediately placed on unpaid administrative leave. He is no longer employed by the Mount Gilead Police Department and as of Tuesday still was incarcerated.
Hughes is accused of being connected with two different thefts, one involving 12 window air conditioners and a single-axle trailer and the other involving a lawn mower.
The air conditioners and trailer were found behind Hughes’ home on July 8 during a search. Warrants for a second search of his home and a property on County Road 11 in Morrow County recovered the stolen lawn mower.
Chief Deputy David Davis said Hughes’ second arrest resulted from those search warrants.
“We continued to check out information and obtain the additional warrants,” he said. “We believed there was more stolen property there.”
The five new charges against Hughes include two counts of tampering with evidence, a third-degree felony; one count of breaking and entering, a fifth-degree felony; one count of grand theft, a fourth-degree felony; and a second count of grand theft, a fifth-degree felony.
The fifth-degree felonies carry a possible sentence of 6-12 months in jail, the fourth-degree felonies 6-18 months and the third-degree felonies 1-5 years. Bond is set at $35,000.
Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Brent Yager was assigned to the case and declined to comment on the charges.
With Hughes’ dismissal and another Mount Gilead Police officer on medical leave, the normal force of seven full-time officers is two members short, said Police Chief Brian Zerman.
The situation has caused other changes in the department.
“It puts a lot of pressure on the officers,” Zerman said. “We’ve sat down with our officers and talked about what’s going on.
“Regardless of who it is and what it is, we still have a job to do and an obligation to the public.”
The Mount Gilead Police were investigating the June 9 report of the air conditioner theft. When Hughes became a suspect, Zerman called on the sheriff’s office to take over the investigation.
“Everybody was in shock at first. I guess it was disappointing. It’s one of those things that nobody wants to believe it,” he said.
“There was never indication that this was going on.”
Hughes’ was charged on July 8 with one count of tampering with evidence, a third-degree felony; one count of theft in office, a fourth-degree felony; two counts of receiving stolen property, fifth-degree felonies; and one-count of obstruction of justice, a fifth-degree felony.
As an officer, Hughes made $17.35 an hour, and a normal work week was 40 hours.
When asked if there were any other suspects connected with the thefts in question, Davis said the investigation still is pending.
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