ORANGE VILLAGE, Ohio — A North Royalton police officer claims his superiors altered his arrest report to remove a felony charge against Orange Village Deputy Chief Patrick O'Callahan, who was arrested for drunk driving earlier this month.
It all centers on O'Callahan's Oct. 11 arrest just before midnight, when that North Royalton patrolman pulled O'Callahan over for allegedly speeding, making sweeping turns and veering in and out of lanes.
Body camera footage, which News 5 obtained from a public records request, shows the traffic stop, where O'Callahan identified himself as deputy chief for the Orange Village Police Department.
When asked how much he had to drink, O'Callahan responded "not much" twice.
"Deputy Chief for Orange and he's drunk," the arresting officer said during the stop, according to body camera audio.
O'Callahan refused field sobriety tests and declined to provide a breath sample before his arrest.
"Dude it’s just my luck," the arresting officer added. "It’s a bad thing, it’s a terrible thing because I keep getting these dang gone people that are making poor decisions that shouldn’t be making poor decisions."
That arresting officer then located several guns inside the car.
Questions surrounding police report
The arresting patrolman, through his attorney, claims he filed a police report that included charges of DUI, a traffic violation and a felony charge for improperly handling a firearm in a motor vehicle.
However, according to the arresting officer's attorney in an email to News 5, the officer said his superiors went in and, without his knowledge or permission, "altered the report by removing all references to the felony charge. "
The patrolman took those claims to the mayor and county prosecutor.
North Royalton's mayor said in a statement he has hired outside counsel to conduct an internal investigation into what happened:
In the matter of recent allegations of misconduct by senior officers in the police department made by a patrolman, as Mayor and Safety Director I asked my Law Director to engage qualified outside counsel to serve as Special Counsel and to conduct an internal investigation. Our law department has engaged Mr. James J. Hofelich, an attorney of over two decades of experience including over ten years in the Office of the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor, to conduct such an independent and impartial internal investigation and to report his findings to me. As that investigation is proceeding it would be inappropriate to comment any further.
On Tuesday, the Orange Village Police Department placed O'Callahan on administrative leave as the investigation continues, saying the department takes "all such matters very seriously and is committed to conducting a thorough internal investigation into the incident."
The Orange Village Police Department has been made aware of an October 11, 2025 incident and the pending charges filed in Parma Municipal Court against Deputy Chief Patrick O'Callahan.
Deputy Chief O'Callahan was immediately placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the criminal investigation.
The Orange Village Police Department takes all such matters very seriously and is committed to conducting a thorough internal investigation into the incident.
Further information regarding this personnel matter will be released upon the completion of both the criminal and internal investigations.
During the arrest, body camera footage captured O'Callahan saying, "I'm really sorry if I did this. I'm really sorry."
O'Callahan is scheduled to appear in court on Nov. 3.
