City administrators have fired two Sandusky police officers embroiled in an alleged sexting scandal involving one officer’s wife.
Officer Todd Smith was fired for dishonesty, insubordination and conduct unbecoming an officer, according to a termination letter city manager Nicole Ard sent him Friday.
Sgt. Stephen Ritterbach was fired for conduct unbecoming an officer; harassment; making inappropriate comments; gossip and spreading false information about staff; dishonesty; and insubordination, according to a termination letter Ard sent him the same day.
The firings come on the heels of Sandusky police Lt. John Orzech’s 38-page internal report documenting a love triangle between Smith, Ritterbach and Ritterbach’s wife, Jennifer.
On March 8, Smith and Ritterbach were on placed on paid administrative leave pending an investigation.
Ritterbach was in charge of the department’s police dog, Justice, which has been on the sidelines for the past two months as the investigation played out.
Police administrators are now searching for another officer to take over Ritterbach’s dog duties.
“This will be Justice’s third human partner,” Ard stated in the email. “Existing staff will be evaluated for potential assignment as Justice’s partner.”
In her email, Ard said both men will look to appeal their termination.
Comments
According to the SR pdf files the same guy got fired twice. Right on the ball ... lol
Thought I was losing it there for a minute, both letters are the same. and for the same person.
Kat
You only have to look at the reporter for the article to know why its messed up!
The real problem for these cops is telling the truth. I wonder if these cops were on duty during the photo shoots.
Everyone CALM down!! You can argue over the little things all you want, the TRUTH is their terminations will go directly to UNION arbitration. That means the city will PAY half of the cost for both arbitration cases and the police UNION pays for the other half. This is becoming a war of who has the most money to defeat the other. Oops, in the representation of the city, it will be city residents on the dole for the cost. The police UNION will have to draw on UNION dues in their legal defense fund. This is the definition of "appeal" for the story. They will both get their jobs back and the residents of the city will be FORCED to keep paying for idiotic police officers. The city is trying to clean things up, but the UNION cancer has infected SPD more than you will ever know. That is why there is a "them (public & newspaper) against us (SPD)" mentality. If SPD continues to FAIL, how in the world do you expect them to respond to any civil disorders because of a highly publicized murder trial?? All you city residents GET what you vote for so EAT IT! How does all the levies and liberal rhetoric about hiring more LE officers to make you liberal saps FEEL GOOD about yourselves taste? Ha! Ha! Here is a true example of pure democrack, liberal FAILURE. Good luck to you city residents. Don't bother coming out to Perkins for your typical freeloader meal tickets, because it will NEVER happen! Go down to the UNION halls and see if they will help you with a handout. Ha! Ha!
Yep the Register messed that one up
Wasn't this already in the paper? This isn't anything new! The SR must not have had any other gossip to report. This is really getting old!
Opera is over the Lady Sang...........
@Taxpayer, Here we go again union this, union that. Liberals suck, yaddie yaddie yadda, jesus do you ever shut up and for once just relax and do something other then degrade liberal and democrats?? I know for a fact that since you must be republican and I know your not some rich guy because if you were, instead of being on here you would be on some beach or on some vacation, your GOP throws you under the bus jsut like the I guess dumb liberal laws in play going on right now, that will probably let these guy's stay cops and cost the city money. My my how intelligent you are. Do you blame everything on liberals. Your wife left you not because of your impotence but because some liberal changed her mind right, or you can't find a single friend in perkins twp, because they are all liberal right. Because of republican taxes will go up for everyone except the rich and that includes you so like it or not buddy, you might think like a republican but you aren't one at the end of the day and btw im niether, I don't vote, I'll start voting again when the president is decided on the people's vote not electoral votes.
Ok they were fired. at least one, maybe both, will at some point get their jobs back. Time to move on. they and their families have been ridiculed and embarrassed ENOUGH! I realize they brought this on themselves. However, I personally feel like they have been SHAMED ENOUGH!!!!! Even though they weren't thinking about their families, especially their children, it's time to let this be. I am sure in the coming weeks, the SR will find someone new down at the SPD to "go after" and put on the front page. This story is now old news. MOVE ON TO SOMETHING MORE NEWSWORTHY!!!!
Jethro...you are correct when saying they brought this on themselves. Also as being Civil Servants and their paycheck coming from the taxpayers, this was absolutely justification. Sort of like the patrolman involved in the KKK thing. He got his job back only to be later terminated for wrong doing, drunk driving I believe. The system needs to rid itself of the trash that we pay to employ. They neither one were exemplary employees as evident with past disciplinaries in their employee files. I say good riddens to bad trash. This kind of foolery makes it difficult for citizens to have respect for the good police who deserve it.
I cannot believe my taxdollars go to pay people like these, what is wrong with the SPD? It's always one thing after the other....
I hate unions. I really do. These guys were fired for cause....end of story. They shouldn't get there jobs back just because they are respresented by a union and they have an abritrator. It is time for that to end. Cause is cause no matter what in this State.
They were fired and that is it. I don't give a tinker's tack what their arbitrator says iit's over. And taxypayer, it has nothing to do with your idea's either. Take a pill.
wiredmama...don't you mean it's and not iit's. To quote you when you corrected my missspelling, " that drives me crazy when a normallly intelligent person mispells a simple word." I do believe that "it" is a rather simple word. The meaning may be difficult to understand for some...such as Bill Clinton but the simple spelling remains the same....simple. I also believe that the word "mispelled" (the way you spelled it) is actually spelled misspelled. Also "there" in the referrence in which you used it should spelled their. Be careful remember Karma will come around to bite you in the butt everytime. :) I typically do not correct people's spelling as long as I understand what point they are trying to make but since you invited me in an earlier post to correct you if I ever saw you misspell something, I decided to take you up on the offer.
Taxed enough,
What's more important, correct grammar and spelling or a true understanding of historical fact?
"It depends on what the meaning of the words 'is' is." Bill Clinton
Not the word "it".
BTW, it's grammar, not grammer.
We all make typos and mistakes spelling. I think it is the point one is trying to make that matters!
@ taxed enough already. Good job internet grammar teacher :) You're a real grammar pen pusher. Remind me to point out everytime you feel it is your sworn duty to correct others spelling. ahh just joshin ya, it bugs me too, but like myself and others I have only some much time to waste on this ol' site I can't be perfect either.
I must inform that I don't typically correct grammer and misspelled words but Wiredmama222 corrected me on an earlier post and asked me to correct her if I ever saw where she made a mistake...I am just doing what she asked me to do. Check out the blog posts on the Margaretta School District levy and you will understand what I am talking about :)
Just happy to oblige wiredmama's request :)
Captain...History speaks for itself...this little spelling issue was between wiredmama and myself. She pointed out one of my misspellings and I truly believe that misspelling words is not an issue, the context, as long as it is understood, is what is important. She happen to feel correcting someone's misspelled words was more appropriate and she openly invited me to correct her should I ever see her misspell something. It was only a matter of minutes when she misspelled several words or used them incorrectly. I was just taking her up on her invitation to correct her is all. I could care less as I am not an English teacher by trade.
I guess the old saying if you live in a glass house you should not throw stones or ye without sin cast the first stone would be appropriate here. :)