Ex-deputy ordered held in jail on child pornography charges
A U.S. District Court magistrate has ordered a Franklin County Sheriff’s office deputy be held in custody pending his trial on federal charges accusing him of sending and receiving pornographic images of children.
The deputy was fired less than an hour after the federal court hearing ended.
Magistrate Kimberly Jolson called the images found in a forensic examination of Daniel Heintz’s cellphone, totaling between 4,000 and 5,000 with a review ongoing, “some of the worst of the worst of child exploitation.”
Heintz, 38, of the Far East Side, turned himself in Wednesday to federal authorities after being charged with two counts related to accusations he solicited and received pornographic images of children.
Heintz has been held in the Delaware County jail since Wednesday.
During Friday’s hearing, Heintz’s attorney, Steve Nolder, had Heintz’s father testify about the possibility of Heintz being released on house arrest. Federal court does not have a bail system.
But Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather Hill said Heintz’s conduct, including discussions with other alleged pedophiles about the potential sexual abuse of a child Heintz had access to, posed too great a risk to the community. Hill said some of the images on Heintz’s phone included bondage involving prepubescent children, bestiality and sexual abuse of children under the age of 10.
In making her decision on whether Heintz should be kept in custody pending trial, Jolson said she was troubled by the allegations against Heintz and the nature of the photographs found on his phone. Jolson said she was relieved to learn that there is no immediate evidence any of the sexual abuse Heintz allegedly discussed took place, but noted there is concern about how he would be able to seek counseling if released and banned from using electronic devices.
“The way these types of crimes are committed is through an electronic device,” Jolson said. “Especially through COVID, it’s how we’re doing things all the time.”
Heintz has worked as a non-certified deputy in the Franklin County jail since 2007, meaning he cannot work patrol or perform other detective assignments.
According to court records, Heintz was communicating with someone in Illinois between August and December in which the pair discussed their mutual sexual interest in children. Court records indicate Heintz and the person in
Illinois exchanged photographs of prepubescent and teenage girls over Kik, a messaging app.
In one conversation, according to court records, Heintz allegedly discussed sexually abusing a child he had access to, including photographing that child while they slept.
Court records show the subject in Illinois was arrested in mid-august and allowed federal agents to continue using his Kik account to further their investigation across state lines. Heintz and the Illinois suspect, who is not named in the court records, had been in communication prior to the Illinois suspect’s arrest.
The FBI had searched Heintz’s Far East Side home on Feb. 10 and Heintz was placed on paid administrative leave on Feb. 11 after Sheriff Dallas Baldwin learned of the search.
Chief Deputy Rick Minerd said Wednesday there was no evidence Heintz was having any of those conversations while at work, and no evidence Heintz was communicating with inmates or other employees about his alleged conduct.
Termination proceedings against Heintz began Wednesday after criminal charges were filed.
Baldwin fired Heintz Friday less than an hour after the detention hearing ended. bbruner@dispatch.com @bethany_bruner
The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation is investigating after a Columbus police officer fired at a suspect who showed a firearm and then fled.
The suspect was not struck and no injuries were reported in the incident, which occurred around 1:40 a.m. on the 700 block of East Fulton Street in the Olde Towne East neighborhood.
According to police, officers had been called to a home on a report of a domestic disturbance. When they arrived, they saw the suspect in a car and that car subsequently crashed.
At some point, the suspect, later identified as 29-year-old Brandon Richards, of the South Side, displayed a firearm and fled on foot.
Officers chased Richards and one officer fired multiple shots, none of which struck Richards.
Officers were able to take Richards into custody without further incident and recover a firearm.
Richards, who according to Franklin
County Municipal Court records had been released from the Franklin County jail on Thursday after entering a no contest plea to aggravated menacing and domestic violence charges, has now been charged with violating a protection order and having weapons under disability.
In accordance with city policy, BCI will investigate the officer-involved shooting. The officer who was involved has not been identified. bbruner@dispatch.com @bethany_bruner