Circleville chief of police escorted out of office after being placed on administrative leave
CIRCLEVILLE, Ohio (WCMH) – The Circleville Chief of Police has been placed on administrative leave after he was escorted off police department property by the local sheriff following allegations into potential misconduct.
According to the Pickaway County Sheriff's Office, Circleville Mayor Michell Blanton requested an officer to stand by after placing Chief G. Shawn Baer on administrative leave, effective Monday. Sheriff Matthew Haley reported to the police station, where he was tasked with escorting Baer to his office to collect personal belongings as well as department-issued equipment.
Body camera footage showed Sheriff Haley recovered Baer’s police identification, two department-issued firearms, his badge and three office keys. The sheriff’s report also stated it retrieved a city-issued cell phone.
The Circleville mayor’s office had sent a letter to Chief Baer on Monday informing him he was being investigated for potential misconduct. Among the allegations against Baer include harassment, intimidation, retaliation, threats of discipline, misuse of position, improper expenditures, failure to adhere to deadlines, and timekeeping violations.
The City of Circleville declined to comment on Baer's placement on administrative leave with pay.
The Circleville Police Department had a recent run of controversy with an incident in July 2023, when one of its officers, Ryan Speakman, unleashed a K-9 on a truck driver during a traffic stop on U.S. Highway 35.
Speakman was initially fired by the Circleville Police Department but he contested the decision by filing a grievance through the Ohio Patrolman’s Benevolent Association. He received a $40,000 lump sum payment after submitting a voluntary letter of resignation. The City of Circleville also settled with the truck driver, Jadarrius Rose, for $225,000.
The chief, who reviewed the incident two days after it occurred, said that Speakman was fired not for the incident itself, but only after receiving reports that, “he was crying and talking with other employees about being stressed over the July 4, 2023, K-9 deployment.”
Baer ordered Speakman to stop communication about the incident, but the chief would later receive more reports about Speakman discussing the incident with fellow officers, dispatchers, the city’s Director of Public Safety with another employee present, and family members.
“Upon completion the investigation is public record but prior to it being completed Ryan Speakman discussed so much information with so many people it had immense potential to impact the board’s ability to provide an accurate review,” Baer wrote in a statement.