GRATIS — In a special meeting on Sunday, the village of Gratis administration put the police chief and another officer on administrative leave after claiming to be federal ICE agents.
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As reported on News Center 7 Daybreak, the Gratis Village Council decided on Sunday to place police chief Tonina Lamanna and officer Jeffrey Baylor on paid administrative leave pending an internal investigation.
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As previously reported, Lamanna and Baylor drove over an hour to get from their department to the Cincinnati schools on April 15.
A spokesperson with the Cincinnati Public Schools said the officers visited three buildings, claiming that they were with ICE and needed to conduct welfare checks on students, according to a previous report.
The officers didn’t interact with any students.
Gratis Mayor Kevin Johnson said he wasn’t aware of their chief’s actions until other law enforcement agencies notified him.
“The village of Gratis does not condone these actions. It is not the practice or policy of the village to participate in law enforcement operations outside of our jurisdiction, particularly those occurring two counties away,” Johnson said.
Mayor Johnson said he will decide on an interim police chief soon.
News Center 7 will continue following this story.
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