Stepp had an amazing record for getting on probation and getting in trouble while on it. His life story is one of the most unique in area history.
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For this edition of Vintage Dayton, we went into the archives to tell the story of Stepp’s life - including the time the Dayton Daily News went after him and the local justice for how often he was not punished.
Our Gem City Gamble series
Former Dayton police Detective Dennis Haller’s career spanned a dark time for the Dayton Police Department.
He had a front-row seat to the city’s criminal networks and questionable law enforcement tactics.
Haller was a source for Dayton Daily News reporter Wes Hills, who retired in 2004 after 30 years at the paper, and agreed to share information with Hills on the condition it stay confidential until Haller’s death, which happened in 2023.
In our Gem City Gamble series published earlier this month, we used Hills’ interviews and notes to shed new light on the largest police corruption scandal in city history and how police wiretapping and a spurned bookie may have contributed to the downfall of baseball legend Pete Rose.
Stepp also had a connection to the series, which examined the state of the criminal underworld of Dayton as part of the reporting.
• Part 3: The gambling Dayton industrialist