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Mayor: Outside firm to conduct internal investigation on Arcanum police chief

ARCANUM — No criminal charges were filed by the Darke County Prosecutor’s Office following a sheriff’s office investigation into Arcanum Police Chief Andrew Ashbaugh, however he remains on paid leave as the village brings in an outside firm to conduct an internal investigation.

A Darke County Sheriff’s Office report says Ashbaugh used a fake Facebook account to talk to high school students.

RELATED: Report: Arcanum police chief talked to teens on Facebook with fake name

“We take all citizens concerns seriously,” said Arcanum Mayor Greg Baumle. “Bringing an outside firm isn’t out of the norm for us.  We’ve done it in the past and we want to make sure everything is done appropriately.”

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.

Baumle said Ashbaugh being kept on leave is a standard procedure during an internal investigation.

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