DELAWARE, Ohio — Three Delaware County deputies were charged yesterday with rummaging through a
police computer system to illegally snoop on people.
A grand jury indicted deputies Lyle A. Chasse, James F. Cuccarese II and Robert E. Curren on
charges of unauthorized use of property, a fifth-degree felony that carries six months to one year
in prison.
The charges against Chasse evolved from the 2009 arrest of a township officer, allegations of a
sexual affair and an apparent feud between the deputy and elected official that culminated in a
federal lawsuit.
Sheriff Walter A. Davis III said his office conducted an investigation that led to the charges
after Joel Spitzer, Orange Township fiscal officer, filed a criminal complaint with the sheriff’s
office early this year.
Davis said he will meet with the deputies to determine what job-related action, if any, to take
against them while the charges are pending.
Sue Ann Reulbach, a Franklin County senior assistant prosecutor serving as special prosecutor in
the case, would not detail the allegations against the three men.
Chasse is charged with three counts of unauthorized use of property; Cuccarese is charged with
two counts; and Curren is charged with one count.
The deputies are charged with illegally accessing the Law Enforcement Automated Database System.
Use of the system, better known as LEADS, is restricted to legitimate police inquiries.
The charges accuse the men of using the system, which contains driving records, vehicle
registrations, criminal-background information and other data, for non-law-enforcement
purposes.
Chasse said he is not guilty and that the charges he faces are unrelated to Spitzer’s arrest. He
said they are retaliation for his role in the case of state Sen. Kris Jordan, R-Powell, who was
investigated for domestic violence, but not charged, after a dispute with his wife on July 11.
Chasse emailed Jordan on July 29, saying the Republican sheriff was pushing for criminal charges
against the senator in a move that Chasse described as a “setup … for political reasons.â€?
Chasse said he could have escaped indictment by resigning and apologizing to Spitzer, but
refused the offer from the special prosecutor.
But Davis said there is no connection between the charges against Chasse and the Jordan incident
because an investigation of the deputies’ computer-system use began six months before the senator’s
wife called 911 for assistance.
The charges against Chasse, 41, of Galion, match claims made by Spitzer in a federal lawsuit
that he filed against the deputy.
Chasse arrested Spitzer outside the township hall on Dec. 6, 2009, on suspicion of driving under
the influence and obstruction of official business. Spitzer, who said he had stopped at the hall to
pick up his laptop computer, passed a breath test and was not charged with drunken driving. He
declined to comment yesterday.
The deputy said he was investigating a suspicious car with a woman in it that was parked there
when Spitzer tried to leave the parking lot in his car. Chasse and another deputy reported that the
woman, who was not charged, indicated she was having an affair with Spitzer.
Spitzer, who was dean of students at Olentangy Orange High School at the time, ultimately was
charged with hindering a law-enforcement official. The case was dropped in exchange for forfeiting
a $225 bond. Spitzer later left the high school.
Spitzer then sued Chasse in U.S. District Court in Columbus, alleging that the deputy violated
his constitutional rights by making a false arrest. Spitzer also said Chasse falsely indicated that
Spitzer was having an affair and continued to harass him after he filed the lawsuit. Both men
sought protection orders against the other.
The lawsuit says Chasse accessed the police computer system six times on May 16, 2010 — after
the case against Spitzer ended — to check on Spitzer, his wife and the woman found at the township
hall.
The criminal charges against Chasse say he ran three illegal computer checks on the same date.
Spitzer’s pending lawsuit against Chasse seeks $600,000 in damages.
It is unknown whether the charges against Cuccarese, 40, of Westerville, and Curren, 36, of
Marion, are related to the charges against Chasse.
Both are charged with accessing the police computer system on Dec. 7, 2009, the day after
Spitzer’s arrest. Cuccarese also is charged with illegally using the system four days earlier. The
deputies could not be reached for comment.
rludlow@dispatch.com
amanning@dispatch.com
Article source: http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2011/09/17/deputies-accused-of-meddling.html
View full post on National Cyber Security