DaytonDailyNews.com

Springfield, Ohio — A spike in Internet activity on computers in the Clark County Board of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities transportation garage earlier this year was an indication that something was wrong.

MRDD Assistant Superintendent Jennifer Rousculp said the board's IT employee noticed an increase in the time spent online at a computer that maintenance personnel used for upkeep and to order parts for garage buses and vans.

"What we found was that an individual was accessing sites that were not appropriate and were not related to his job description," Rousculp said.

That individual was identified as Robert A. Gebhart, 47, of 3735 South Charleston Pike, who was recently arrested on two felony counts of pandering sexually oriented matter involving a minor.

He pleaded not guilty in the Clark County Municipal Court on Tuesday, Dec. 9. Bail was set at $30,000.

Gebhart did not have direct contact with MRDD clients in his position as a mechanic, Rousculp said.

In late July, MRDD staff determined that Gebhart was accessing the sites, and turned the computer over to authorities for further investigation.

"It's not our job to determine whether the activities was legal or illegal," Rousculp explained. "What we are allowed to do is (evaluate) the issue as it relates to personnel."

Gebhart resigned on Aug. 7 , she said.

"It was either resign or get fired," Rousculp added.

Since the incident, the MRDD has installed new software that "prohibits employees from inappropriate sites," Rousculp said.

"You always want to re-evaluate how this could have happened," she said. "We've put prevention software in place to not only monitor but to block inappropriate sites from employees."

Contact this reporter at (937) 328-0374 or boutten@coxohio.com.