A Hamilton County corrections office, accused of taking nude photos of a man at a Fairfield gym, has a history of suspensions and sleeping on the job, his personnel file shows.
Michael Crawford, 31, of Hamilton, was indicted last month on charges of illegal use of a minor or impaired person in nudity-oriented material or performance and nonconsensual dissemination of private sexual images, according to documents filed in Butler County Common Pleas Court.
Crawford is accused of taking nude photos of a developmentally delayed man inside a Planet Fitness restroom in September and posting them on social media, Butler County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Lindsay Sheehan told Enquirer media partner Fox19.
Crawford was suspended twice last year for incidents that occurred in September 2020, according to the personnel records.
In one incident, he was suspended for three days without pay for not conducting his rounds during a shift while being shadowed by a recruit. Crawford also was suspended one day without pay after his duty belt and service weapon were stolen from his unlocked vehicle.
His disciplinary history also includes reprimands for sleeping while on duty.
Crawford was cited in March 2018 after fellow deputies found him "slumped down in the chair in the corner, asleep," the records state. This incident happened while he was assigned to watch over an inmate who was being treated at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center.
In October 2018, Crawford was tasked with one-on-one security over another inmate being treated at the medical center, the records show. In statements to the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office, hospital staff said Crawford was sitting outside the inmate's room and appeared to be asleep, not watching the inmate.
Hospital staff said the inmate became violent with Crawford over the inmate's use of a hospital phone, the records show. An altercation ensued and hospital security and Cincinnati police officers had to intervene to restrain the inmate.
In a report regarding the incident, another deputy noted that Crawford had a bite mark on his finger and bruising to the head as a result of the struggle.
In a memo attached to Crawford's personnel file, his supervisors wrote, "it's clear that you were either asleep on duty, or at the very least not alert enough to know what was going on around you. Otherwise, the inmate would have never been on the phone in the first place."
In a response to the reprimand, Crawford wrote that he was awake during the inmate's stay at the hospital and at no time did he appear to be sleeping. He did note that he put in an earbud and was watching something on his phone while the inmate was asleep.
In March 2019, a fellow corrections officer found Crawford, who was posted as a control room officer, "slumped down in (a) chair, leaning back, and sleeping," the records state. The officer asked Crawford if he'd been getting enough sleep during the day, to which Crawford responded that he was.
Crawford told the officer the issue was "just the lack of something to do, boredom taking over, and then falling asleep," a report states.
The records show Crawford was assigned to third shift when each of these incidents occurred.
In performance reviews, Crawford received low scores in categories of dependability, support of sheriff's office policies and procedures and attendance and punctuality.
However, a supervisor wrote that Crawford "is a 'no nonsense' officer who maintains a 'tight,' orderly unit, having few problems when he is on duty."
Crawford completed a peace officer certification with the Butler Technical Institute in 2015 and was hired by the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office later that year.
Jail and court records show Crawford was booked into the Butler County Jail last week, though he's since been released on his own recognizance and ordered to electronic monitoring.
Crawford doesn't have a criminal history in Hamilton and Butler counties prior to his recent arrest, court records show. His attorney has yet to respond to messages from The Enquirer seeking comment on the case.
He was placed on unpaid administrative leave due to the charges filed against him, Hamilton County Sheriff Charmaine McGuffey said in a statement on Tuesday.
Two jail services officers with the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office were fired after being arrested in unrelated incidents, the sheriff's office said on Friday.
Cody Hunley, 36, is charged with theft in office and theft of a firearm, both felonies. Joshua Eastham, 33, is charged with two counts of forgery related to falsified medical documents requesting sick time, also a felony.
Enquirer media partner Fox19 contributed to this report.
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