Mary Alice Reporting –
A former Bolivar police officer and the owner of a gun shop in Strasburg face multiple charges and will be arraigned in September.
According to Ohio Auditor Keith Faber’s release, the Tuscarawas County Grand Jury returned indictments against Jeffery Stearns, a current police officer in the Village of Sugarcreek, and G&R Tactical owner Grant Timberlake.
Both face felony counts of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, theft, unlawful weapons transfer, telecommunications fraud, falsification in a theft offense, and complicity.
Stearns also faces additional felony charges of tampering with evidence, money laundering, and a misdemeanor count.
The Auditor of State’s Special Investigation Unit (SIU) launched an investigation in February 2022 after receiving information about an officer using Bolivar’s tax exempt status and law enforcement discounts to purchase ammunition. SIU determined that, during the pandemic, Stearns falsified documents to complete the ammunition purchase, allegedly for the Bolivar Police Department, with the rounds being picked up by Timberlake. The Bolivar law enforcement agency had no knowledge of the transactions.
An arraignment for the two is scheduled for September 20th.
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