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Posted: 12:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 7, 2013

Former officer takes plea deal in sex case

By Jessica Heffner

A German Twp. police officer has accepted a plea agreement that could effectively end his career in law enforcement.

Robert Oldham, 30, of 1407 Kingsgate Road, was accused of raping a 19-year-old woman on July 14. The alleged incident occurred at a party on Penny Pike. The victim, who said she had been drinking, said she was being assisted by two juveniles when Oldham took her upstairs and sexually assaulted her, according to the initial report filed by the Clark County Sheriff’s Office.

Oldham is a lieutenant with the German Twp. fire department, where he’s worked for 15 years after starting as a cadet. He also works as a part-time German Twp. police department, according to township officials.

A trial was set to begin Monday, but a plea agreement was reached Friday between Oldham and the Ohio Attorney General’s Office, which is prosecuting the case because of Oldham’s status as a police officer.

Under the agreement, the rape charge was dropped and Oldham pleaded guilty to furnishing alcohol to a minor and unlawful restraint, both misdemeanors. If served consecutively, the maximum sentence could be eight months in jail and $1,500 in fines, according to the attorney general’s office.

As part of the agreement, Oldham has agreed to give up his peace officer certification and resign from civil positions. He’ll also go before a state board to determine whether his fire and EMS certifications will be revoked, according to Jill DelGreco, spokeswoman for the Ohio Attorney General’s Office.

Oldham was placed on administrative leave for 15 days following his July arrest. Since then, he’s been on personal voluntary leave, which is unpaid, pending the outcome of the case, said police Chief Michael Stitzel.

“Right now we are just waiting to see — let (the case) run its course in the courts — and then see how that turns out,” Stitzel said. “Once we get notification (of the outcome), as a result of that we’ll take our next steps.”

Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 15 at 11 a.m. before Judge Eugene Nevius in Clark County Municipal Court.

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