CELINA, Ohio (WOWO): A former Celina police officer has been indicted for using the Law Enforcement Automated Data System (LEADS) to identify a person believed to be a friend of his wife.
Mark Burgoon, 50, was indicted Thursday by a Mercer County Grand Jury.
The Mercer County Sheriff’s Office was contacted by Officer Burgoon’s wife on Nov. 3, 2021. The two were separated at that time. She said she was harassed by him and the sheriff’s office agreed to do the investigation instead of the Celina Police Department due to a possible conflict of interest.
Detectives found in their investigation that there were ongoing marital issues with unwanted verbal and electronic communications between both parties, including that Burgoon was using a database to identify people that were friends with his wife.
Officials say the investigation revealed that Burgoon improperly used LEADS on Aug. 3, 2021 to identify a friend of his wife. LEADS is used to check driving records, identify owners of vehicles from license plates, run a criminal history on a person and other law enforcement functions. Accessing LEADS for any reason other than a law enforcement purpose is a fifth degree felony in Ohio.
Burgoon, who has since retired from the department, was served a summons to appear in court on June 28.
Misdemeanor charges are under review by the prosecutor’s office for other individuals.
An investigation is still ongoing.
