LORDSTOWN — Following an investigation, a decision was made that Lordstown police officers are permitted to work off-duty jobs, including at Ultium Cells.

Police Chief Brent Milhoan said at Monday’s council meeting that in March, a former resident accused the police department of corruption and compared the department to the mob.

“These accusations were a serious matter and should be taken seriously, so the Bureau of Criminal Investigation was contacted about conducting a thorough investigation. That investigation was reviewed by prosecutor A. Joseph Fritz, who wrote a letter to Mayor Woodward and myself summarizing the investigation. He said the BCI performed a professional and comprehensive investigation,” Milhoan said.

In the letter, Fritz said there was no evidence of any illegal or corrupt activity by the police department. He said there was no evidence of police personnel receiving any illegal money.

“Based on the thorough Bureau of Criminal Investigation filing of a full review of the evidence, my office as prosecutor for the village of Lordstown is not filing charges derived from the false and defamatory allegations surrounding the Lordstown Police Department and its interactions with Ultium Cells,” Fritz said in a letter read by Milhoan.

Mayor Jackie Woodward said the allegations made by a resident were found to have no merit, so she is allowing police officers to work off-duty jobs as was done previously.

The allegations were made at a March meeting by former resident Danielle Watson, who brought up concerns she had with officers working side jobs as security for Ultium Cells.

According to the minutes from the March 17 meeting, Watson accused officers of failing to serve misdemeanor warrants at the facility.

Watson also played an audio recording from a cell phone that she said is evidence that officers were not taking people out of the facility for misdemeanor warrants.

Woodward previously put restrictions in place when the investigation was being done. Members of council and residents praised the decision supporting the police department.

Councilwoman Jessica Blank said she is pleased that a ruling was made clearing the police officers of any wrongdoing and finding there has been no corruption in the police department.

OVERTIME HOURS

In other business, Milhoan said there was a lot of overtime in the police department in September at 193.75 hours because of the three-day apple cider festival, with officers working security and directing traffic at the event.

“It is higher than we would like it to be, but the overtime was unavoidable and things that happen only once in a while,” he said.

Milhoan said officers also had to take the required annual additional professional training for firearms and other areas.

Additionally, he said the village was short a full-time dispatcher, with other dispatchers working overtime, but a candidate is going through a background check.

In other action, council:

• Approved setting the wages of the clerk’s office staff effective Oct. 14. There will be three permanent full-time office clerks paid $22.43 per hour in 2025, $23.10 per hour in 2026 and $23.79 per hour in 2027.

• Heard from Village Engineer Chris Kogelnik regarding plans to improve the shoulders of state Route 45 and advertise for bids for the water booster station.

• Hired Edward Fife as a laborer / operator for the Board of Public Affairs, and Cindy Speaker as clerk’s office staff.