SPRINGFIELD — The City of Springfield’s city manager will not face charges following an investigation into an allegation of sexual misconduct.
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In a statement Tuesday, Clark County Prosecutor Daniel Driscoll said his office was contacted by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) regarding an investigation done at the request of the City of Springfield.
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The city contacted BCI after receiving an anonymous complaint regarding City Manager Bryan Heck and another city employee.
“Based on the very limited information available, I do not find that there is sufficient evidence to move forward with any criminal charges against Heck,” Discoll said in a statement.
As News Center 7 previously reported, Heck was placed on paid administrative leave in July.
News Center 7 checked with the city today, and a spokesperson confirmed that he remains on paid administrative leave.
“The City will share additional information as appropriate,” the spokesperson said in part.
Jason Via will continue to serve as acting City Manager.
Nathan Stuckey, a lawyer representing Heck, said in a statement:
“From the beginning, Bryan has disputed the most serious and sensational claims contained in the anonymous letters, and he welcomed an independent investigation to determine the facts. That investigation has now been completed.
The investigation specifically found no evidence that Bryan exposed himself or made any physical contact with the individual involved. No additional eyewitness to the incident was identified. No photograph or video alleged in the anonymous letters was produced or corroborated. The Prosecutor concluded there is insufficient evidence to pursue any criminal charge against Bryan.
The results demonstrate precisely why anonymous accusations must be approached carefully and investigated before opinions and conclusions are drawn. The letters made a number of serious allegations, presented as fact, that the investigation did not substantiate. While we may never know the identity or motives of those responsible for these anonymous letters, their content and tone went well beyond simply raising a concern for investigation. They leveled inflammatory accusations against Bryan as established fact, while also suggesting that City leadership had knowingly ignored or concealed serious misconduct. Those accusations have caused significant irreparable harm to Bryan, his family, his reputation, and public confidence in the City’s leadership.
We appreciate BCI and the Clark County Prosecutor’s Office for conducting an independent review and following the evidence wherever it led. We hope the same attention given to the anonymous accusations will now be given to the actual findings of the independent criminal investigation.
While he is eager to return to work for this community, Bryan remains on administrative leave while the City completes a separate administrative review of matters outside the scope of the Prosecutor’s inquiry. The standards, purposes, and scope of their administrative review will likely be different than those of the criminal investigation led by BCI.
We respect that process, will continue to cooperate with it fully. We will have no further comment until the City’s administrative review has concluded."
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