Oregon Police Officer Jeff Brown, son of Mayor Marge Brown, was suspended for 20 days following a police department investigation into his use of a police Law Enforcement Automated Data System (LEADS) computer on ex-girlfriend Tanya Hernandez.

LEADS gives police access to national criminal justice databases.

The violation occurred over a two-year period, according to a report issued by the police department on Friday, Sept. 4.

“During the last couple of years, you used LEADS to run the female mentioned numerous times,” according to a disciplinary report from Police Chief Richard H. Stager and addressed to Brown on Sept. 3.

On June 12, 2009, a LEADS audit showed there were numerous inquiries on Hernandez, states the report. In November, 2006, Brown ran Hernandez three times in a 12-day period.

“This would be the approximate time that the two began their relationship,” states the report.

Hernandez was run an additional eight times by Brown over the course of the next two and a half years, states the report.

“She was run once in June 2007, once on Christmas Eve in 2008, about the time their relationship terminated,” states the report.

“Jeff has run Tanya’s information using her Social Security number six times since the beginning of 2009,” states the report. “She was run most recently in the early morning hours of May 26, 2009. This was followed by her being run six hours later the same morning by Officer Bruce Huer, who stopped Hernandez for a traffic violation related to being under suspension and towed her vehicle shortly after that time.”

Hernandez, according to the report, suspected that Brown was behind her traffic citation and that he had contacted Huer to report she had a suspended driver’s license. The report confirmed her suspicions. Huer told investigators that Brown had told him that he had run plates in the lot where her car was parked the previous evening and that the registrations check on her vehicle indicated that the registered owner of the vehicle was suspended. Huer did a record check to confirm that she was under suspension. Huer was asked by Assistant Chief Paul Magdich, who conducted the investigation on Brown, whether Brown had told him Hernandez was a former girlfriend and Huer stated he had not.

“Bruce had no idea the driver he cited was well known to Officer Brown,” states the report.

“The times that she was run would support the allegation that a law enforcement purpose was not the driving force behind this use of the LEADS terminal,” states the report.

Brown will be blocked from using the Northwest Ohio Regional Information System (NORIS) and LEADS for six months and has been suspended from the Special Response Team (SRT) for six months.

Brown is required to volunteer 40 hours of service at the Oregon Recreation Department.  He must also attend the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for an evaluation and a possible followup.

Felony allegation
Brown also received a verbal reprimand for interfering in the private business or affairs of another woman, Vicky Ferris, a teacher at St. Patrick of Heatherdowns Elementary School. Ferris contacted police to complain that Brown had allegedly portrayed her as a convicted felon and provided a third party with a court document that supported the allegation.

On May 28, 2009, Ferris called police to report that she had been called into the principal’s office and questioned about an allegation that she was a convicted felon and should not be allowed to teach, states the report.

Nicole Rhoades, whose children were in Ferris’ class, informed an employee of the school about the allegations. Rhoades also had a past relationship with Brown that resulted in several police reports being made by both Brown and Rhoades, according to the report.

Ferris stated that she had spoken with Rhoades, who said she got the information from Brown.

Ferris, who had two of Brown’s children in her class, stated she personally had no problems with Brown. She also stated that Brown had an affair with her sister-in-law, Tanya Hernandez.

Ferris told Hernandez that Brown “was not going to leave his wife for her like he had been allegedly telling her,” states the report.

Ferris also stated that during the time Hernandez was seeing Brown, Hernandez, a registered nurse, was “routinely giving him his shots of human growth hormone.”

Ferris further stated that Brown would show up at Hernandez’s place of employment in Oregon at night while they were both working.

Hernandez told police that when she met Brown, she was going through a divorce and that Brown told her that he and his wife were divorcing as well.

Hernandez, who worked in the office of Drs. Lindsey Buck and Hank Taylor, on Navarre Avenue, told police that during her relationship with Brown, he would come in monthly for injections of testosterone, states the report.

“She stated that Jeff had a prescription for the drug from Dr. Henry Taylor,” states the report. After the doctors closed shop, Brown would show up at Hernandez’s residence with a syringe with what was described as human growth hormone. Hernandez told police she did not know where Brown was getting the human growth hormone.

She stated that Brown was paying for his testosterone at Dr. Buck’s with a credit card and the cost was over $200 per month.

Hernandez stated that she was given the impression that Brown and his wife were splitting up.

“When it got to the point that they had to hide to be together, she told Brown they were done,” states the report.

Hernandez told police that since that time, there have been “some instances that have lead her to believe that Jeff may still be watching her,” states the report.

Hernandez believed Brown was involved in a burglary in her home in February, states the report.

“The nature of the burglary and the fact that only a flat screen TV from her son’s room was stolen and her bedroom was completely ransacked but nothing was taken, made her think Jeff may be involved,” states the report.

Told mayor

Ferris believed Brown had told people she was a convicted felon because she had told Hernandez in the past that Brown was “taking advantage of her and would not be leaving his wife,” states the report.

Ferris further stated that “she was very agitated by this matter and had actually called the mayor to complain about Jeff,” according to the report.

On June 1, the police contacted Father Dennis Walsh of St. Patrick of Heatherdowns School. Walsh told police that he had informed Ferris about the allegations that had been brought forth about her.

The allegation, according to Walsh, was that Ferris had a felony conviction and that she had stolen money from a man.

Brown had been in to see Walsh since Ferris’s complaint and that Brown told Walsh that “the information that he had given about Vicky was publicly accessible information,” states the report.

Eric Wagener, the principal of the school, told police that Father Walsh had received a call from an unnamed parishioner who claimed Ferris had authored several bad checks and had committed credit card fraud, states the report.

Wagener was emphatic that there was no employment problem for Ferris, and was very supportive of her.

Wagener called the situation “awkward,” because his brother is the mayor of Maumee, who is “very close with Mayor Brown,” states the report.

When police contacted Rhoades to discuss the matter, “at first she was indignant” and wanted to know why “nobody gave a damn” when she complained to police years ago about the problems she was having with Brown, according to the report.

Rhoades told police that Brown had told her that Ferris was a felon. Rhoades also stated that she had gotten an alleged document regarding the felony conviction from Brown’s babysitter, Dianna Olson, who said she got the document from Brown.

Police contacted Olson, who stated that Brown had told her that Ferris was a convicted felon, according to the report.

Police asked Olson if Brown had made any inquiries about the police department’s contacts with her. “She paused and stated that Jeff had spoken with her and asked if she had heard anything from the police department,” stated the report.

Olson stated she was no longer babysitting Brown’s children.

“She added that Jeff could be real intimidating at times,” stated the report.

Olson said she later left a car seat on her front porch for Brown to pick up after he had asked her for it.

“She and her neighbor were in the back yard when Jeff came to get the seat and they were both working in the garden. Olson stated that Jeff came into the backyard and just stood and stared at her,” states the report.

She told Brown that the seat was on the front porch and there was "no need for him to be there,” states the report.

“His presence unnerved the neighbor who offered to go in or leave and Dianna asked her to stay because Jeff had her frightened,” stated the report.

She added that Brown did other things that had her and others convinced that Brown was monitoring their text messages by “some unknown means.” She stated she had received a phone call on her cell phone and her caller ID identified the source of the call as her husband’s cell phone. She could see her husband’s cell phone sitting on the counter at the time and, when she answered the phone, it was Brown. “She asked him how he was doing this, and he stated it was an `old cop trick.’”

Brown also made comments to Olsen regarding information she exchanged with friends through texting and she believes him to be reviewing her text messages in some way, according to the report.

She added that she knew of times when Brown had called in sick for work because he had been drinking. “He would then state that he could do that because his mother was the mayor.”

Sex on the playground
The report dismissed allegations against Brown that he had sexual contact with Rhoades while on duty in 2002 because an investigative report on the matter conducted by former Police Chief Thomas Gulch could not be found. 

Rhoades told police she and Brown had sex in Fire Station No. 2 on Wheeling Street on more than one occasion.

Rhoades was able to describe the interior of the fire station to investigators “in very accurate detail,” states the report.

Rhoads stated she and Brown had sex numerous times while he was on duty, not only at the fire station, but also at the Comfort Inn, and in the playground area of New Harvest Church on Seaman Road, and in the parking lot of Coy School on Wheeling Street.

Also, during that time Brown dated Rhoades, “there were other serious allegations that are disturbing,” stated the report, without disclosing details.

Rhoades told police that she had contacted Gulch, as had her father, Tom Rhoades, about problems she had with Brown.

“The chief reportedly told Mr. Rhoades that he intended to have the matter investigated and Mr. Rhoades stated that he never heard from the chief after that,” states the report.

Gulch, who was fired by Mayor Brown in 2005, had conducted an investigation into the allegations involving Ms. Rhoades, states the report.

Rhoades told Stager that she had informed Gulch while he was chief that she had sexual encounters with Brown while he was on duty, according to the report.

“Ms. Rhoades also indicated that Chief Gulch advised that Brown would be suspended for three days,” states the report.  Rhoades’ father telephoned Gulch expressing his concern that Brown was “using poor judgment dating his daughter who is just out of high school.”

“Lt. Brian Andrzejewski advised that he mentioned to Chief Gulch about police reports filed relating to Nichole Rhoads and Brown several years ago,” states the report. Chief Gulch told Andrzejewski that he would take care of the complaints.

“It appears my predecessor knew about these complaints and conducted an investigation,” states Stager in the report. “However, to this date, I have not located any investigative report into this matter.”

Since reports from Gulch’s investigation could not be found, Stager dismissed a recommendation by Magdich that Brown be suspended for 15 days for having sexual contact with Rhoades while on duty.

To punish Brown for an investigation that was conducted several years ago would probably violate Brown’s contractual rights, an agreement with the City of Oregon and the Oregon Police Patrolmen’s Association, states the report.

Magdich interviewed Brown on July 28 regarding the allegations against him. Brown’s attorney, Marilyn Widman, was present during the interview. Brown denied he had a physical relationship with Hernandez. Later in the interview, Magdich told Brown that “there was no policy regarding an extramarital relationship but there was against false information.” Magdich again asked Brown if he had a sexual relationship with Hernandez. “With that, Jeff stated that he wanted to take a break and speak with his attorney. We then took a brief recess,” states the report.

Brown came back into the room alone, and the interview resumed.

“I started out by telling Jeff that we could deal with everything I was looking at, but if I learned he was lying that would be a different story. Jeff stated that is why he was in there alone. He changed his story and confessed that he and Tanya had a sexual relationship,” according to the investigator.

“He stated he didn’t want to talk in front of the others because he was very embarrassed,” the report said of Brown.

Brown denied he had sex while on duty with Rhoades.

Brown later called the investigator at home and said he and Rhoades got a room at the Comfort Inn, but while he was off duty, states the report.

Brown also denied telling people that Ferris was a convicted felon, according to the report.

The investigative report on Brown was released 11 days before Oregon’s Sept. 15 mayoral primary in which his mother, who is facing opposition from Councilman Mike Seferian and grocer Marvin Dabish, is seeking a third term.

Mayor Brown did not return calls to The Press for comment. Officer Brown could not be reached for comment.
 

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