ARCANUM — Arcanum Police Chief Andrew Ashbaugh has resigned, according to the village.
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On Tuesday, the chief sent a notice of resignation, which the village accepted later that day.
“It has been my privilege to serve the citizens of Arcanum as police chief since 2014,” the letter read. “It has been an honor to lead and serve with officers of the Arcanum Police Department. At this time I am submitting my resignation effective April 26, 2019.”
The village will begin its search for a new chief in the next few days.
Sgt. Timothy Zellers will serve as interim police chief until the position is filled, according to the village.
In March, the Darke County Sheriff’s Office began an investigation into Ashbaugh after an allegation of “impropriety” involving a female was reported.
The village placed him on administrative leave on March 4.
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"There are some improprieties that have been brought up and we just want wanted to confirm if those were true or false," said Sheriff Toby Spencer.
A 42-page investigation revealed that Ashbaugh used a fake Facebook profile to contact high school students.
Ashbaugh told the sheriff’s office that he created the account to learn about the school’s drug scene, according to the documents.
A girl told investigators that Ashbaugh used the account to talk to her and that he also approached her at home and asked her to job shadow him.
Ashbaugh claimed that he was talking to her about running a stop sign and that she asked him for a job shadow, according to the report.
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An order to stay off the high school’s campus was included in a March 4 letter in his personnel file.