Thompson Trustees Vote for Full Background Check on Chief

July 18, 2023 by Ann Wishart

After an hour of questions, explanations and some shouting, Thompson Township Trustees voted unanimously July 17 to have Geauga County Sheriff’s Office run a full pre-employment background check on Police Chief Mitchell Kaspy.

At the time, despite repeated demands from a standing-room-only crowd of residents, Trustee Heather Moseman refused to step down from her position.

When a resident asked, “When are you going to tender your resignation?” Moseman smiled and said, “I’m not.”

However, Tuesday morning, she submitted the following letter of resignation to township officials:

“This letter is to serve as my resignation as one of the three trustees of Thompson Township effective immediately. I’m resigning as I no longer feel safe in the community that I have lived in for nearly 18 years.”

During the meeting Monday night, a resident, who asked to remain anonymous, said she had 45 signatures on a petition to recall Moseman for “…not faithfully discharging the duties of the office. Trustee has displayed disrespect to other trustees and the citizens of the township.”

“It’s in the best interest of the township for you to resign,” she said.

Resident Derrick Doyle accused Moseman of showing animosity toward residents.

“… You have to learn it is best just to step away. We feel that time is right now,” he said, after which he received applause from the audience.

Geauga County Sheriff Scott Hildenbrand stood before the crowd of about 100 to answer questions regarding the background check his office did on Kaspy.

Emails show Moseman, as police liaison to the trustees, requested Hildenbrand to check Kaspy’s Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy certification and if he had any felonies on his record.

Monday, she said trustees checked with Kaspy’s former employers and received notification of his retirement from a previous position before asking Hildenbrand for a background check.

The sheriff said Kaspy gave him the names of individuals with whom he had served, including Trumbull County officers. Hildenbrand said he knows the sheriff there.

“They would have told you if there was a problem with me,” Kaspy said, standing in the doorway of the meeting room at the Thompson branch of the Geauga County Public Library.

“We didn’t get that far,” Hildenbrand said, adding trustees hadn’t asked him for Kaspy’s record.

Doyle said a West Farmington police officer resigned rather than worked under Kaspy. The chief said he didn’t know the reasons for the resignation.

“I had an issue with the mayor,” Kaspy said, adding he tried to modernize the West Farmington department and was hiring officers from more urban areas because there is a shortage of trained law enforcement employees available.

When asked why his time with the Trumbull County Sheriff’s Office was not included, Kaspy replied he limited his resume to those positions related to supervision and training since that was the kind of position for which he was applying in Thompson.

Residents asked why, if the sheriff offered to do the background check for free, trustees believed it would cost up to $10,000.

Hildenbrand said he does not know what it would cost, since the department does checks on deputy candidates in-house and he had never been asked by trustees to do one for a township.

Trustee Al Safick said his company pays $7,000 to $10,000 for a pre-employment background check on a candidate.

It includes EKGs, X-rays and time with a counselor, all of which can add up to thousands of dollars, he said.

“In the meeting with the sheriff and (Geauga County) Prosecutor (Jim Flaiz), (trustees) agreed to do a background check,” he said, adding the prosecutor also offered to run a check on Kaspy.

Safick said he didn’t remember hearing a figure and, since trustees are unfamiliar with the procedure, he said they thought the certification check and fingerprinting were standard and free.

It was a case of miscommunication, he said.

“We never had, in the past, any more than that,” he said. “Ours was to cover any issues we had with the previous chief.”

He was referring to former Chief Christopher DiDomenico, who pleaded not guilty July 29 to charges of carrying out his duties without the proper certification. He allegedly impersonated a police officer and tried to access a law enforcement database.

“In my world, we do a full background check,” Hildenbrand said. “I understand you didn’t know what would be involved. If we had done at least that much on the former chief, he never would have been chief.”

Trustee Erwin Leffel asked for the proper wording for a motion.

“Pre-employment background check,” Hildenbrand said, adding it includes a packet of about 30 pages to be filled out, as well as a polygraph test, a physical and a psychological evaluation.

“It’s pretty extensive,” the sheriff said. “It’s what we do for our employees.”

Leffel read the motion to move forward and all trustees voted yes.

Kaspy said he is willing to go through the process.

Safick said Kaspy is under probation for 90 to 180 days as a new employee.

When residents asked how they can trust the background check, Hildenbrand said he would make the results available to the trustees, only redacting what is necessary, and that much of the information is public. He also reiterated Safick.

“I think it was a misunderstanding. My understanding of a background check and his understanding of a background check were different things,” the sheriff said. “I want a good working relationship with the Thompson police department. They do a lot of stuff. If they don’t do it, I have to.”

He said the cost of one full-time deputy, without a vehicle, is about $130,000 per year for salary and benefits. Safick said the whole annual police budget is $108,000.

When trustees investigated eliminating the township police department and contracting with the sheriff for a 40-hour-per-week deputy, the numbers were around $90,000 per year, he said.

Township Fiscal Officer Cindy Lausin said the chief has four officers and patrolmen in his department and all are part-time employees.

When residents complained they want someone more local as chief, Safick said there were no local candidates for the job.

When there were no more questions for Hildenbrand, he left, followed by a round of applause.

Tuesday morning, Leffel said he believes the remaining trustees have up to three weeks to appoint a replacement for Moseman.

“I’m kinda reeling from last night,” he said over the phone, adding he appreciated Hildenbrand’s help.

“He’s got my vote forever,” he said. “Also, Jim Flaiz.”