A Middletown police officer who encouraged family to strike a handcuffed teenager with a belt was found guilty of dereliction of duty.
Jamie Patterson was found guilty July 30 in Middletown Municipal Court on two counts of dereliction of duty, both misdemeanors in the second degree, according to Special Prosecutor Matt Broo.
In January, internal affair records show Patterson asked, “What happened to corporal punishment?” before handcuffing a 15-year-old boy and allowing family to strike the boy over 10 times with a belt. The teen was left with welts the size of softballs, records show.
Patterson was indicted in Marchand opted to have a judge hear her case rather than a jury trial.
The maximum possible Patterson could face is either 90 days in jail,
a $750 fine or a term of probation, Broo said. Patterson's sentencing is set for Aug. 25 in Middletown Municipal Court.
She remained on unpaid leave as of 2:45 p.m., according to Middletown spokesperson Ken Brown. The Enquirer reached out to Brown after the hearing to check on her status but did not immediately receive a response.
Patterson: 'That needed to happen'
Patterson arrived at a Middletown home in response to a domestic violence call after reports indicated a 15-year-old kicked his grandmother and broke a computer monitor out of anger from an argument, police records state. Patterson told the teen "to stand up and put his hands behind his back," according to Deputy Police Chief Ryan Morgan's review of her body camera footage.
Patterson affirmed twice to family it was OK to strike the teen, according to Morgan's review.
Even though Patterson was acquitted, the Butler County Prosecutor added her name to his office's Brady list, which formally designates law enforcement officials with criminal convictions or other honesty questions.
The Enquirer is not naming the boy's relatives because they aren't facing criminal charges. Butler County Prosecutor Mike Gmoser said no charges were warranted because they were complying with a police order.
Police failed to investigate beating of child
Middletown Sgt. Dennis Jordan failed to follow up when a local jail official reached out to report potential child abuse, according to a separate internal affairs investigation.
A juvenile detention center employee spoke with Jordan on the phone on Jan. 6 to inform him that Patterson was accused of handcuffing the teen before he was struck. Records show Jordan asked hardly any questions.
Instead, he told the detention center employee to tell the boy "when he gets out that he can come talk to us in person," emails show.
Enquirer reporter Gillian Stawiszynski contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Middletown officer who encouraged family to hit teen found guilty
