Former West Chester veteran goes to court on tampering charges

The video above is from previous reporting.

HAMILTON, Ohio (WXIX) – A now-former West Chester Township police officer will make his first court appearance on felony charges.

She is scheduled to appear in Butler County Common Pleas Court at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, according to court records.

Michelle Berling, 46, of Wayne Township is charged with tampering with evidence in a death investigation and misusing a police database, Butler County Prosecutor Michael Gmoser said.

A Butler County grand jury indicted her last month on two counts of tampering with evidence and single counts of tampering with records and unauthorized use of property.

Her indictment alleges the crimes occurred on August 8 and 8 to 13.

Berling’s tampering charge stems from allegations that she altered Flock camera data and footage in a death investigation of a woman on Schumacher Park Drive in June, Gmoser said.

Berling is also accused of abusing the department’s Ohio Law Enforcement Gateway (OHLEG) to collect information for his personal use, he said.

She was suspended from all duties when the investigation began and placed on paid administrative leave before resigning on Oct. 28, a city spokeswoman said.

When the West Chester Police Department reported her resignation to the state, they did just that made public in the public database of the Ohio Attorney General’s office, which she left while “an investigation was conducted.””

“During the second week of August 2024, officers and staff of the West Chester Police Department recognized possible legal and policy violations committed by Officer Michelle Berling,” the city said in a statement.

“After a brief internal review and analysis of data, the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) was consulted for assistance. All information was transferred to BCI to conduct an independent criminal investigation into the matter.”

The statement also states:

“West Chester Township expects the highest level of integrity and professionalism from its employees. As reinforced in our Police Department’s vision, mission and guiding principles, every employee is responsible to serve the community with integrity, dedication, professionalism and courage.”

Berling became a police officer in Ohio in 2000 and began her law enforcement career that year with the Butler County Sheriff’s Office, state records show.

She joined the West Chester Police Department in July 2002.

Berling was assigned to their Criminal Investigation Department as an intelligence analyst and also had a side assignment as a crisis negotiator. show state data.

She also worked in law enforcement as a public affairs officer, according to her LinkedIn page.

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