A former Ottawa County sheriff’s deputy pleaded guilty Monday to two disorderly conduct charges after he was accused of stalking his supervisor.
John Carpenter, 50, of Port Clinton was sentenced by visiting Judge Richard McMonagle in Ottawa County Court of Common Pleas to a suspended 30-day jail sentence. In addition, he will be on probation for a year.
As part of a plea agreement, prosecutors dismissed a felony count of menacing by stalking, and amended misdemeanor counts of menacing by stalking and aggravated menacing to the two counts of disorderly conduct, both fourth-degree misdemeanors.
Mr. Carpenter did not speak during his court appearance, other than to answer in the affirmative when the judge asked him questions related to whether he understood what his plea meant and whether he voluntarily entered the plea.
According to the original indictment, Mr. Carpenter was accused of threatening last year to harm Amy Gloor, a detective sergeant in the department who supervises the detective division. The indictment lists a pattern of conduct between April 8 and Aug. 9 that would “knowingly cause her to believe he would cause physical harm or cause mental distress.”
Detective Sergeant Gloor said Mr. Carpenter threatened to kill her. After he resigned while on administrative leave, he was hired by the Carroll Township Police Department. Detective Sergeant Gloor claimed he then followed her, in a squad car, for more than two miles outside of his jurisdiction.
She said she had her gun out, in her lap, while he followed her. She feared he was about to attack her.
Mr. Carpenter worked for the sheriff’s office for about a decade. He was hired by Carroll Township in July. A victim advocate read statements from both Detective Sergeant Gloor and her husband, in which they described how Mr. Carpenter’s actions caused them fear and anxiety.
Detective Sergeant Gloor has worked for the office for more than two decades, facing assaults and threats over the years. But she called Mr. Carpenter’s threat worse than any she’s faced. She called him “why citizens don’t respect police,” and said she now carries a gun with her everywhere she goes — even in her garden or to her pool — out of fear he would attack her.
“John Carpenter should never be a police officer again,” she wrote.
Carroll Township police Chief Jody Hatfield said Mr. Carpenter resigned from the department soon after he was indicted.
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