ELYRIA, Ohio — The Lorain County Sheriff's Office said in a Facebook post Thursday morning that deputies are executing search warrants at the county administration building and the 911 center.
Cruisers and sheriff's deputies could be seen coming and going from both buildings Thursday. Sheriff Hall said the searches were part of an ongoing investigation by his office's Public Corruption Unit.
“We have reason to believe that there’s been fraud committed related to some contracts related to the 911 center,” Inspector Mike Massie of the Lorain County Sheriff's Office said during a press conference Thursday afternoon.
Investigators declined to share many details about the investigation. They said forensic teams were collecting both digital and physical evidence at both locations and would be examining the evidence to determine next steps.
"This is business, this is police work and that's what we're doing. We're doing our jobs," said Maj. Steve Scharschmidt.
The search warrants came about six weeks after a former 911 Center consultant was indicted for unauthorized use of law enforcement systems. Investigators confirmed that the case was related to the current investigation.
Lorain County Commissioners also pointed to an ongoing civil case. In early March, the Sheriff's Office filed a lawsuit against the Board of Commissioners. It alleged the commissioners were violating a contract between the two parties over the 911 Center.
Court documents in the civil case said the sheriff's office was investigating possible felony-level charges committed by a county vendor, related to the misuse of law enforcement systems. Investigators wanted to revoke the vendor's access to sensitive systems, but the commissioners declined to do so without an explanation of the investigation.
On Thursday afternoon, County Commissioner Dave Moore released a statement saying he believes the search is politically motivated and related to the civil lawsuit.
“The sheriff is using taxpayer resources and county deputies to execute a criminal search warrant searching for the same documents that he is requesting in his civil lawsuit," Moore said. "Using the criminal process to ask for documents subject to a civil lawsuit is a complete abuse of power. It’s a waste of taxpayer resources. These deputies should be investigating real crime, not out here on Sheriff (Jack) Hall’s political vendetta against the county commissioners because he wants to take over 911 and take over the 911 levy to pay for his ridiculously expensive jail.”
A few hours later, the sheriff held a press conference.
WATCH:
Sheriff Hall denied that Thursday's actions were related to anything other than the ongoing criminal investigation.
“I’m an elected official and the commissioners are elected officials and sometimes politics will come into that. But that’s one of the things, when you look at this from a law enforcement perspective, we have to follow the law.”
The sheriff's office said that 911 operations will not be affected during its investigation.
Thursday evening, the Board of Commissioners released the following joint statement:
“This approach represents a troubling misuse of public resources,” said the commissioners. “County deputies should be focused on protecting residents and addressing real public safety concerns, not being diverted into matters that are already being addressed through the civil court system.”
The commissioners noted that this situation follows recent budget decisions, including a $1.8 million reduction to the sheriff’s office, made after voters declined a sales tax increase. They also expressed concern that the searches may be tied to ongoing disputes over control and funding of the county’s 911 system, as well as proposals for a new jail facility.
“Taxpayers expect accountability, transparency, and responsible use of their dollars,” the commissioners added. “We will continue to defend those principles and address this matter through the appropriate legal channels.”
