Skip to main content

Former Wapakoneta Police Chief- And Child Pornography

It may be true that holding public officials to a higher standard than we do "normal" people is unfair. After all, they are just people too. Right? I mean, how many men have affairs without the whole Clinton situation happening? But under certain cases, we should hold them to a higher law. In some cases, they should have to pay above and beyond what the "normal" person would. Because, we hold them on a higher level of trust. We tell out kids that the police are "safe" people. If they get lost, find a police man, if they need help, call a police man. So it worries us, makes us second guess ourselves when we find that the bad guy is one of those we have been teaching our kids to trust. This is the case of David L. Harrison, the former Wapak police chief. The man at the very top of command of a people that we have come to entrust the safety of our children with when they are in danger. Never should they symbolize the very thing we as parents strive to keep our children from. Here is a man with great responsibility, and as scary as it is- he also has a great amount of child pornography. What is even more startling is that this man- whom many held in the highest of respect, was show leniency in sentencing. I don't know what was going on in the head of the visiting judge who handed down this sentence. My thoughts are the ABSOLUTLY nothing was going on in there which would explain the unacceptable tolerance the judge displayed in this matter. Did he not see the apparent danger in the case? This is not the stranger we instruct our child to avoid, this is one whom we have taught them to trust. Sometimes that badge comes with a higher need for moral decency. And a tougher punishment for those that willfully break the law. Although he was convicted after the termination of his position with the Police Department, we can not be assured of when this action on his part began. Or how far it went.

The Lima News
Ex-chief needs re-sentencing

Auglaize County Prosecutor Edwin Pierce is asking for a re-sentencing hearing for David L. Harrison because the former Wapakoneta police chief’s sentence for pornography charges did not comply with state law. Harrison received a one-year sentence and three years of optional probation following his June 2003 guilty plea to several charges involving pornography on his work and home computers. State law says people convicted of sex offenses are subject to five years probation upon release. However, since Harrison did his time at the Auglaize County Correctional Center instead of a state prison, state officials have no ability to place him on probation, The Lima News reported this week. Pierce has filed a motion for a re-sentencing hearing in Auglaize County Common Pleas Court. The court should grant this hearing. Harrison got off more than lightly. The material on his computers included child pornography. The Wapakoneta police chief from 1988 to 2002 pleaded guilty to pandering obscenity involving a minor, three counts of unauthorized use of a computer, pandering obscenity and obstructing official business related to having child and adult pornography on his computers at work and home. Visiting Judge Charles Steele, from Van Wert, gave Harrison a one-year sentence for pandering obscenity involving a minor, an 11-month sentence for the pandering obscenity charge, six-month sentences for each of the three counts of unauthorized use of his work computer and a 90-day sentence for a count of obstructing justice, a second-degree misdemeanor. The judge, however, lightened the sentences when he ordered Harrison serve them concurrently. It is disgraceful that a public official would receive such a lenient sentence for something as serious as child pornography in the first place. To allow Harrison now to avoid probation would be shameful. The average man on the street would face harsh consequences for such acts; Harrison’s public duty should not exempt him from the same. The Auglaize County court should fix the part of that it now can.



Source WLIO Television Lima OH
MORE CHARGES FILED
A former Wapakoneta police chief has been indicted on several charges including some relating to child pornography. An Auglaize County Grand Jury filed charges Friday against David L. Harrison on 23 counts - including 15 felony charges of illegal use of a minor in nudity-oriented material or performance - for accessing and reproducing pornographic images using his work computer. Attorney General Jim Petro says, ""The material found on the computer is absolutely disgusting and unquestionably inappropriate and that ""this type of behavior is unacceptable and unbelievable, especially from a person the community depended on to protect its children and uphold the law."" In 2003 - Harrison was sentenced to 44 months in jail for crimes relating to child pornography and unofficial use of a city computer. He served 6 months in prison and 6 months in the county jail before being released and placed on probation.


Categories:

Comments

Anonymous said…
Chief Harrison was recently convicted on the new charges. See Lima News.
Anonymous said…
Harrison was using his home computer to conduct work business. The person who actually took the child porn pictures is already out and did less time than Harrison will. How fair is that? It is because of the incompetence of these small town people, with small town minds and small town judges that caused this to be so screwed up. They screwed up his sentence, so how can they re-try Harrison? Isn't this referred to as double jeopardy?

Popular posts from this blog

Florida Sex Offender Registry

Reading the news today, I was taken back to see that the Florida Sex Offender registry was being criticized. Having had the chance to look at it previously, I had always found it rather informative, and well organized. The issue that many are having with it now wouldn't be noticed by the occasional browser on the site. Which makes it even worse. A review of the FSR has found some rather unsettling statistics: The News-Press analyzed the Florida Department of Law Enforcement database of 36,306 sex offenders and found: • 9,205 of them are incarcerated • 7,037 have run away or can't be found • 824 have been deported; and • 516 are dead. Of the 15,573 sex offenders listed as released and not on parole or probation, only 11,355 of those actually live in Florida. Sex offender registries can only be usefully, and only fully do what they where designed to do when they are updated, maintained and monitored continuously. When you are relying on the SO registries to monitors how safe your...

This land is my land, this land is not your land...

I was reading the illegal immigrant news this morning... you know, all about the Spanish National anthem... and all about their big rally May 2... and I started thinking. Perhaps, just perhaps we need to stand up. It may be a really good time to remind everyone who's country this is. 12 million illegals... heh, I think we can beat that. The rough estimate is that the US has a population of 298,000,000, or close too it. Take away the estimated 12 million illegals, and we still have 286,000,000 give or take some. So, basically, if one were to be honest- a boycott by legal citizens would be more impressive. 12 million illegals, who can not legally vote verses 286 million citizens who can minus children and some criminals. My country. Not theirs. My taxes, my jobs, my political leaders. 286 million people should be able to remind law makers just who put them in office. 286 million people should be able to remind companies who buys their products. 286 million people should be able to si...

WTW Someone Please Help Us

There's so much to work with, I'm going to just hit as much as I can. Ashely Simpson decided to pick a fight at McDonald's. Betting millions that if the employee would just go and get the manager- the manager would just love her. Simpson's climbing on the counter and irate behavior where in typical White Trash Style. Great coverage at Stereogum. Tom Cruise has decidedly canned his sister for her inability to help him keep his mouth shut. Evidently he needs a real professional as his PR person- in order to keep him in line. It's just not right firing family because you're and idiot. Kate Hudson is suing someone because of photos of her in which she looks like a starving actress. She claims the images suggest she has a eating disorder- no Kate, it's not the images, it's the you. One should not sue because they have starved themselves to the point of it being noticeable in photos. Please stop by these other great sites to read more WHITE TRASH WEDNESDAY B...