GRATIS — The Gratis Village Council has scheduled a special meeting this weekend, saying it’s for “Possible Discipline of Police Personnel.”
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The mayor confirmed to News Center 7’s I-Team on Friday that this has to do with the police chief and one of her officers driving more than 50 miles from the village in Southeast Preble County to public schools in Cincinnati this week.
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News Center 7’s I-Team Lead Investigator John Bedell talked to the mayor and found out they tried to have this meeting last night before calling it off.
The mayor said they started to have an emergency meeting tied to their chief’s trip to Cincinnati with one of her officers, but then realized they had not given proper notice.
Right after they started the meeting, they ended it.
On Friday, Gratis Mayor Kevin Johnson told Bedell on the phone, Village Council had started an emergency meeting on Thursday evening.
He confirmed it was to address Police Chief Tonina Lamanna and Gratis Police Officer Jeffrey Baylor’s trip to three Cincinnati Public Schools.
New still images from CPS security video, which the I-Team got ahold of Friday, show the pair on district property.
Johnson told the I-Team they took attendance for the meeting, then said the pledge of allegiance.
But then, on the advice of their lawyer, they stopped it because they didn’t provide a 24-hour notice of the public meeting.
This notice is required by Ohio law.
Johnson said they decided to “err on the side of caution” after there was some question about whether what prompted the meeting was “an emergency enough” to hold it without notice.
What prompted the meeting was Cincinnati Public Schools saying Lamanna and Baylor did not show any warrant or paperwork at their campuses for what the district said was a pair of officers claiming a welfare check.
Cincinnati Public Schools Superintendent said the two didn’t interact with any students.
“We only give access to children to a parent. So either a parent or a parent consent form that we have on file,” Shauna Murphy, Cincinnati Public Schools Superintendent, said.
The district said Lamanna and Baylor said they were with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
However, a spokesperson with ICE sent the I-Team the following statement:
“ICE does not target schools for enforcement actions. (Wednesday), a local law enforcement partner attempted to verify school enrollment and conduct welfare checks on children who arrived unaccompanied across the border. To be crystal clear this was not an ICE officer or an enforcement action.”
During News Center 7’s I-Team Lead Investigator John Bedell’s two calls, Johnson wouldn’t answer questions about Lamanna and Baylor’s employment statuses.
Based on the description in the notice for the now-rescheduled meeting on the village’s website, they’ll consider possible discipline for the police department employees on Sunday afternoon.
Gratis Police Department does have a written agreement with ICE, as part of an initiative.
Bedell also confirmed that the Montgomery and Preble County Prosecutor’s Offices have Lamanna on their Brady List.
If an officer is on a Brady List, it means they’ve done something in the past. This would affect their credibility in court.
Prosecutors have to tell the defense that.
If a prosecutor may have to call that officer as a witness, they may choose not to use them.
Some prosecutors may even decide not to charge certain cases if an officer on their Brady List was involved in the investigation.
We will continue to follow this story.
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