Police investigate Put-in-bay officer’s sexual assault allegation

Police are investigating a sexual assault alleged to have occurred involving two Put-in-bay Police officers.

Sergeant Amy Gloor, an Ottawa County sheriff’s detective, said a female officer with the Put-in-bay Police department reported a volunteer police officer sexually assaulted her July 5.

The incident is alleged to have occurred while both officers were off duty, Gloor said.

With the investigation still ongoing and no charges filed, Gloor said she will not name the two people involved in the incident.

Although Gloor hopes to finish her investigation soon, she said sexual assault investigations on the island can present challenges.

“It can take a while, because you have to interview so many people and sometimes those people aren’t local,” Gloor said.

Officer charged with distributing child porn while on duty

An Elmore police officer was charged with receiving and distributing child pornography

Samuel Kurp, 26, was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation Tuesday after authorities received a tip, according to Elmore Mayor Rick Claar.

Claar said he was “shocked” when he was told by police chief Jeffrey Harrison about Kurp being accused of distributing 26 explicit videos and images through a social media application.

The FBI received a cyber tip indicating Kurp used a social media messenger application to upload and/or send explicit videos and images of child sex abuse, according to a news release from the FBI’S Cleveland field office.

Two search warrants were executed Tuesday, one at Kurp’s previous address in Oregon, a city east of Toledo, and one in Elmore, a village in Ottawa and Sandusky counties.

Kurp, who graduated basic police academy training in 2017, was a twoyear veteran of the department, Claar said. The officer was presented with a letter of resignation and signed it Tuesday morning.

Family members plead not guilty to drug-related charges

A Somerset family accused of plotting to rob and murder local drug dealers made their first appearances in a Muskingum County court this week in Zanesville, where they pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Michael Siegenthal, 41, his wife, 49-year-old Tami Siegenthal and her son, 30-year-old Brett Bailey, were each indicted in early August on the following charges:

• Two counts of conspiracy to commit murder, first-degree felonies;

• Four counts of conspiracy to aggravated robbery, second-degree felonies;

• Four counts of conspiracy to aggravated burglary, second-degree felonies.

Michael Siegenthal was also charge with an additional count of possession of drugs, methamphetamine, a fifth-degree felony.

Law enforcement learned the accused conspirators were plotting to kill and rob at least two known local drug dealers and rob an additional two dealers in what was called an “elaborate scheme” to steal drugs and their proceeds.

Michael and Tami Siegenthal’s bonds were set at $1 million each, while Bailey’s bond was set and remains at $750,000.

All three are in the Muskingum County Jail.

USA TODAY NETWORK reports