Ex-officer arrested for misusing database

MANSFIELD — Former Ontario police Officer Elijah Finley was arrested on 117 counts of unauthorized use of the Law Enforcement Automated Database System, or LEADS, according to Richland County court records.

Finley, 31, of Ontario, was arrested Tuesday at his home on the counts, all fifth-degree felonies, according to court records.

He was scheduled to be arraigned at 1 p.m. Wednesday at the Richland County Courthouse before Magistrate Jeffrey P. Uhlich. Finley remains in the Richland County Jail.

Tuesday, the Ontario Police Department said it had no comment regarding the criminal case against Finley.

“Any questions regarding this matter should be directed to the Richland County Prosecutor’s Office,” the police department said in a statement emailed to the News Journal.

Richland County Prosecutor Gary Bishop could not immediately be reached for further comment Tuesday.

Finley, who was fired by the Ontario Police Department in April, received a dozen disciplinary charges on March 6 stemming from an internal investigation, according to his personnel file.

He joined the department on March 1, 2017, and had been the Ontario schools resource officer until his firing. The department offered no explanation at the time for his dismissal.

The 12 violations cited in Finley’s notice of termination included six violations of codes of ethics.

He told the News Journal in April that he was the first African American officer at the Ontario Police Department.

“During my time at the Ontario Police Department, I was treated differently than Caucasian officers, and I had stellar reviews with the school and school administration,” Finley said.