New date for Springboro teacher hearing challenging ‘missing police videotapes’

Springboro teacher Amy Panzeca is scheduled to return to court on Friday. Panzeca and her son were charged after a drug raid of their home in May 2017.

Springboro teacher Amy Panzeca is scheduled to return to court on Friday. Panzeca and her son were charged after a drug raid of their home in May 2017.
Springboro
By Lawrence Budd
May 4, 2018
X

Lawyers in the case of the Springboro teacher charged with drug abuse and child endangering after an undercover raid last May of her home in the city's Settlers Walk planned community are expected to return to court on June 22 for a hearing on whether "missing police videotapes" should affect her case, among other things.

The case of Amy Panzeca, 49, was scheduled for a status conference Friday in Warren County Common Pleas Court. There was no court action before the June date for a hearing on “all pending motions” was scheduled.

RELATED: Warren County drug task force raids Springboro teacher’s home

Panzeca, a teacher for more than 20 years at Five Points Elementary in Clearcreek Twp., is on leave while facing allegations that she allowed her home to become the local “party house” and assisted her son in purchasing drugs using the on-line currency bitcoin.

She has been free on her own recognizance since August.

RELATED: Springboro teacher seeking treatment in lieu of drug conviction

In two motions filed after an April suppression hearing, Panzeca’s lawyer, Andrea Ostrowski, asked Judge Donald Oda not to rule on the suppression “until the matter of the missing police videotapes is resolved.”

Ostrowski said she would press her suppression motion if the tapes are brought to court and press for sanctions against prosecutors - including dismissal of the case - if they are not.

“At this time, the facts regarding the missing videotapes need to be provided to the Court and until the Court has all the facts, any decision on the Motion to Suppress is premature,” Ostrowski concluded the motion to delay a decision on the suppression.

In the other new motion, Ostrowski "seeks to compel" prosecutors to provide the videotapes which she learned of during the suppression hearing and suggests were "destroyed", citing a Dayton Daily News article.

Warren County Prosecutor David Fornshell indicated his office would respond in court.

RELATED: Springboro teacher’s bust under scrutiny

Oda also has yet to rule on Ostrowski’s motion for suppression of evidence gathered using a search warrant issued by the judge that authorized the May 2017 raid of the teacher’s home.

The juvenile-court sentence ordered for Panzeca’s son in the case is on appeal with the Ohio 12th Appellate District in Middletown.

His lawyer also challenged the search warrant and fought for suppression of information gained in the raid, before the teen pleaded no contest to the charges against him.

RELATED: Son sentenced in drug case also implicating his mother, a local teacher

Amy Panzeca’s next hearing is scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m. on June 22 and expected to run through the morning.

In Other News
1
First part of 75-home plan near Springboro schools gets initial OK
2
KFC testing new chicken tenders at Springboro restaurant among others
3
Festival all about pretzels returns to Germantown this weekend
4
Community Gem: Service to others is important to Miss Ohio Junior...
5
Springboro Roosters temporarily closed for remodel

About the Author

Follow Lawrence Budd on twitter

Lawrence Budd is a staff writer who covers Warren County for the Dayton Daily News. He has been with the newspaper for more than 20 years.