WARREN - Trumbull County Sheriff Tom Altiere said he still has to wait until deputies challenge certain questions on a recent promotion exam to see if anyone can lobby for enough additional points.
But for the time being, of the 17 deputies who tested to become sergeants and three sergeants who tested to become lieutenants, only one person passed the test.
Sgt. Jeff Orr scored the lone passing grade, Altiere said. Orr, who heads the Trumbull and Geauga (TAG) Law Enforcement Task Force, is seeking to join lieutenants Rich McBride and Pete Lucic, who manage shifts for the road detail.
Normally, a sergeant serves as second in command on a shift and assists in managing uniformed deputies serving on the road.
''The rest still have the opportunity to challenge certain questions and we'll see how that shakes out before any oral exam and a review of the personnel file,'' Altiere said Thursday.
The 155-question multiple choice test was given through the Kent State University Trumbull Campus Criminal Justice Department, and Altiere said if no one can garner enough points to pass through the challenge process, he will have to go back to the drawing board.
''We haven't tested in a long time, and frankly, we're looking to create more management slots on the road,'' he said.
Altiere said he's aware of a June 12 retirement of top ranking officer Major James Phillips. But what plays more into the scheme of things as far as the sheriff is concerned is the loss of two sergeants.
Earlier this month, former sergeants Anthony Leshnack and Pete Pizzulo pleaded guilty to felony theft charges in connection with a fundraising scheme that state agents say involved the two one-time investigators illegally pocketing a lot of the donations that were given to the Ohio Narcotics Officers Association.
The two sergeants resigned from the department late last year when an investigation got under way.