A civilian dispatcher for the University Police Department was terminated Nov. 27 for allegedly “importuning,” or soliciting a minor.
Joshua Flannagan, 28, of Maumee was cited for allegedly committing the 4th degree felony Nov. 3, according to a record from the Sylvania Municipal Court website. Importuning, which Flannagan was cited for, is the act of soliciting via the Internet or telephone, said Steve Lafferdy, a dispatcher for the City of Sylvania Police Department.
Flannagan is set to go on trial at 9 a.m. Dec. 20 and has entered a plea of “not guilty,” according to a document from the Lucas County Court of Common Pleas.
The University received a call from the Sylvania Police Department about the incident Nov. 4, said Dave Kielmeyer, University spokesperson.
“The chief of police and the people in HR (human resources) suspended him the same day,” Kielmeyer said.
Flannagan was immediately ordered to surrender his keys and other University properties upon being suspended Nov. 4, according to his suspension letter.
After suspending Flannagan with pay, the Office of Human Resources at the University set a pre-disciplinary hearing for Nov. 8, according to a letter notifying Flannagan of his suspension by Rebecca Ferguson, chief human resources officer. The hearing was later rescheduled for Nov. 15.
“We never assume we are to going to discipline you,” Ferguson said. “We have to look at the facts.”
Monica Moll, campus police chief, presented Flannagan’s case for disciplinary action, Ferguson said. Following the hearing, Ferguson issued Flannagan a letter Nov. 22, notifying him of his official termination as of Nov. 27.
Flannagan stayed on “vacation” until his official termination, Ferguson said.
On Nov. 28, University President Mary Ellen Mazey sent an email to University students, staff and faculty concerning “community safety,” in order to address the recent scandal at Penn State University. The email was unrelated to Flannagan’s arrest and termination, Kielmeyer said.
“The email was only related to the Penn State incident and allegations,” Kielmeyer said. “It was just to remind people how and where to go to report things.”
The University was proud it handled Flannagan’s arrest so “quickly and appropriately,” Kielmeyer said.
Flannagan’s phone number was listed as “confidential” on a record from the Sylvania Municipal Court’s website and Flannagan’s phone number is also unlisted. A mugshot was not available on file at the Sylvania Police Department, Lafferdy said.
Flannagan’s attorney, Ryan Parker, could not be reached to comment Sunday.
