“On June 24, 2014 Officer Erica Cash was criminally charged in connection with a Trotwood investigation that began in October 2013. On June 26, 2014, the Dayton Police Department placed Officer Cash on restrictive duty in a non-enforcement assignment. Officer Cash remained in that non-enforcement assignment as her case made its way through the court system. Today, as part of a plea deal, Erica Cash pled guilty to one count of disorderly conduct and immediately resigned her position from the Dayton Police Department.’’
Update@3:30 p.m.:
During a court appearance Wednesday afternoon, Erica Cash pleaded guilty to one count of disorderly conduct, and she has resigned from Dayton police department as part of a plea agreement. Her resignation is effective immediately.
First take:
A Dayton police officer is expected to take a plea deal Wednesday in a criminal case in which she is accused of hindering another agency’s investigation, according to court officials.
Officer Erica S. Cash, 35, has been on restricted duty with the department since June. She was set to go to trial Wednesday in Montgomery County Municipal Court on two counts of misdemeanor obstruction and one misdemeanor count of falsification. The charges stem from a Trotwood police hit-and-run incident last October. Cash allegedly prevented officers from locating and interviewing the hit-and-run suspect, 29-year-old Jermaine Griffin, with whom she reportedly had a sexual relationship.
The crash happened on Little Richmond Road. Patricia Smith, 65, of Trotwood, was driving a Chevy Cavalier Guenther Road when she pulled out in front of a GMC Yukon reportedly driven by Griffin as he traveled north on Little Richmond. The Yukon collided with the Cavalier on the driver’s side, killing Smith and injuring the passenger, David Battles, 58. Griffin allegedly fled on foot, according to police.
Officers checked for Griffin at an address on North Mathison Street in Dayton, but were unable to locate him. However, they learned Cash was at that same address at about 6 a.m., reportedly to help a male who was having difficulty breathing, according to a police report. However, Cash was never dispatched to the residence, and later told Trotwood police that she was contacted by a citizen that a teenage boy needed help. She later contacted Trotwood police to say she had Griffin and would bring him in, telling officers she located him while off-duty, the report stated.
Griffin had a suspended license and was driving in excess of 80 mph in a 45 mph zone, the crash investigation concluded.
Following the conclusion of the court case, Dayton police will launch an internal investigation into Cash’s conduct to determine if she violated department policies and should be disciplined.
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