The Spanking Cop

(Warren, Ohio) According to a report in the Tribune Chronicle, a Trumbull County grand jury has indicted Fowler Township Police Chief James E. Martin on charges that he illegally punished juveniles and adults by spanking them. He pleaded not guilty when arraigned before Judge John Stuard of Trumbull County Common Pleas Court. The indictment contains 52 charges, including:

20 counts of dereliction of duty, 11 counts of assault, 12 counts of using a sham legal process, seven counts of unauthorized photography - all misdemeanor charges, and two counts of theft in office, both felonies.

He is free on a $2,500 personal bond. The first pretrial hearing is set for May 25. The case has been assigned to Common Pleas Judge Andrew Logan.

It's not clear what Chief Martin was thinking in implementing his spanking program since his job is to apprehend lawbreakers, not punish them. In any event, at some point Chief Martin should have questioned his own tactics. One has to wonder how many individuals went to him for spankings even though they had committed no crimes.