5 recent times local officials had brushes with the law

Former Montgomery County Jail corrections officer Michael Rose Jr. was sentenced Tuesday to a year in federal prison for selling cell phones to inmates.

Rose is one of a handful of recent law enforcement personnel or public officials to have brushes with the law. Here are five recent cases and where those cases stand:

The former Kettering police detective pleaded guilty to stealing prescription pills from a resident’s home and obstructing official business.

In January 2017, Meno was sentenced in Montgomery County Common Pleas Court to community control, 200 hours community service, and 90 days of electronic home detention. He will have to pay court costs and $250 in fees. He permanently surrendered his Ohio peace officer’s certification.

RELATED: Ex-Kettering officer ‘forever disqualified’ from public service

Meno, 37, responded to a 911 call about a possible break-in at an elderly resident’s home.

Meno determined that there was no break-in, but returned for a “follow-up” investigation and stole a bottle of prescription pain medicine. The victim reported the theft to Kettering police and identified Meno.

Caito, who became his union’s treasurer in 2014, pleaded guilty in December to fourth-degree felony grand theft from the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No. 104. The union was left with 47 cents in its account.

In April 2017, the 34-year-old Caito was sentenced in Montgomery County Common Pleas Court to 60 days in the Montgomery County Jail for stealing $92,000 from his union.

RELATED: Ex-deputy took thousands, left union with cents

The agreed restitution amount was $92,148.21 — which Caito paid by liquidating his pension — but union leaders said the actual loss was closer to $114,000. In his client’s sentencing memo, defense attorney Frank Malocu said his wife’s illness and medical issues put stress on the family’s finances.

Judge Dennis Langer also ordered Caito to serve an additional 30 days on electronic monitoring after he gets out of jail June 13 and to serve 200 hours of community service. Caito will be on community control for up to five years and must permanently surrender his Ohio peace officer certification.

The former prosecutor’s office employee stole nearly $90,000 from the county, lied about his involvement and only fully confessed when investigators looked deeper, according to prosecutors. Bruns worked in the delinquent tax assessment unit and legally made about $36,000 per year.

In February 2017, Bruns, 48, was sentenced in Montgomery County Common Pleas Court to 36 months, with 32 months suspended, giving him a stint of 120 days in local jail. He also had to pay $39,830 from his retirement account along with the other money he already paid back.

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Prosecutors wrote that Bruns first admitted to some theft Aug. 17, 2016, and that he used other methods to steal money. As investigators searched further, Bruns then admitted and cooperated with investigators and said the theft amount was closer to $90,000 than the original $40,116. Bruns was fired Aug. 22, 2016.

Visiting Judge Linton D. Lewis did not grant a motion for early release, but did let Bruns out for a day to see his daughter graduate from high school.

The former Montgomery County Jail corrections officer accepted $5,000 to give an inmate a cell phone to continue to operate a heroin trafficking business, according to federal prosecutors. A law enforcement sting led to Rose agreeing to accept another $1,500 to get a cell phone for another inmate.

On May 23, 2017, Rose was sentenced to a year in federal prison for attempted extortion under color of official right. “I think a message needs to be sent to those who serve as corrections and law enforcement officers that this breach of trust cannot be tolerated,” said U.S. District Court Judge Walter Rice. “The crime is incredibly serious.”

RELATED: Getting cell phones to inmates ‘incredibly serious’ crime

Rice ordered Rose, 29, to do 100 hours of community service and get a mental health assessment, cognitive behavior therapy and submit to various probation conditions.

Rose was allowed to not report to the Bureau of Prisons until Oct. 15 so he could continue to work and so his family could be in a better position before he is incarcerated.

A former Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office deputy who allegedly knocked out three of his wife’s teeth was indicted in March by a Warren County grand jury. Gearhart, 43, was indicted for second-degree felony assault and misdemeanor domestic violence and drunk-driving charges, according to the Warren County prosecutor’s website.

A police incident report said surveillance footage from inside Gearhart’s Franklin Twp. home showed him grabbing his wife, dragging her by the hair through the kitchen and slamming her head onto the edge of the kitchen island on Feb. 14.

RELATED: Deputy facing violence charges leaves job

His wife has filed for divorce, he’s not allowed to go to his former home and a judge ordered the couple to stay away from each other, according to court documents.

Gearhart, who resigned March 20, is scheduled for a preliminary hearing in early June in Warren County Common Pleas Court.

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