UPDATE @ 10:45 p.m. (April 3): Village Police Chief Andrew Ashbaugh is not allowed on the school's campus while authorities continue to investigate his using a fake Facebook name to talk with high school students.
The order to stay off campus was included in a March 4 letter placed in the chief’s personnel file.
He remains on paid administrative leave “pending the completion of the investigation into allegations of serious workplace misconduct,” the letter states.
EARLIER REPORT (March 28)
New information is shedding light on why a police chief in Darke County is on paid administrative leave.
RELATED: Arcanum police chief under investigation, placed on paid leave
The Darke County Sheriff’s Office was in charge of investigating the Arcanum police chief. The village placed him on leave March 4.
Forty-two pages of investigation reveal Arcanum Police Chief Andrew Ashbaugh used a fake Facebook name to talk to high school students.
The documents show he told the sheriff's office he created the account to get information about the school’s drug scene.
That account was set up to look like a 15-year-old boy named Eric Townsend.
One girl told investigators Ashbaugh not only talked to her via the fake page, but he also approached her at home and requested she job shadow him.
But, the report said he defended those actions, saying he was talking to her about running a stop sign the previous week, and that she had asked him for a job shadow.
In either case, parents and grandparents we talked to said they were concerned.
“As a grandparent you look out for your grandkid, especially little girls,” said Tim Riegle of Arcanum.
“It is upsetting. Really anybody that does that, I mean it is a police chief so it’s different but anybody who does that, it’s just uncalled for,” said parent Jessica Shelton.
The sheriff’s office recommended a charge of menacing by stalking, but Darke County prosecutors declined to approve the charges.
Now, the Arcanum mayor said the village has hired an outside firm to complete an internal investigation.
The school district said it is copoerating with the investigation, but can’t comment on the matter because it is student-related.
The police department and chief could not be reached for comment.
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