Columbus – A former St. Clair Township (Columbiana County) police sergeant has been indicted on seven felonies, including theft in office, for falsely claiming overtime. 

Joseph G. Brophey was indicted Sept. 13 by a Columbiana County grand jury on one count each of theft (F4), theft in office (F3), burglary (F3), and four counts of tampering with records (F3). 

According to investigators, Brophey allegedly claimed overtime for court dates in which he was not in attendance. That overtime amounted to $17,298 for appearances in Municipal, Juvenile and Common Pleas Courts in Columbiana County. The theft, theft in office and tampering with records counts all result from claiming overtime he allegedly was not entitled to receive. 

The burglary count results from Brophey allegedly entering the St. Clair Township chief of police’s office through an attic and falling through the ceiling. This was discovered by the chief when he found damaged ceiling tiles in his locked office.  

The investigation was conducted by the St. Clair Township Police Department and the Auditor of State’s Public Integrity Assurance Team.

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The Auditor of State’s office, one of five independently elected statewide offices in Ohio, is responsible for auditing more than 6,000 state and local government agencies.  Under the direction of Auditor Dave Yost, the office also provides financial services to local governments, investigates and prevents fraud in public agencies and promotes transparency in government.

Contact:
Beth Gianforcaro
Press Secretary
614-644-1111