CINCINNATI — A Cincinnati police officer has been fired after Police Chief Teresa Theetge said he knowingly stalked a woman with whom he had a previous relationship.
According to an internal investigation, Darryl Tyus "engaged in acts that constitute the offense of menacing by stalking" while off duty. The woman told police Tyus placed an Apple AirTag in her car in April 2022, monitoring her whereabouts. She claimed Tyus followed her to a male friend's home and damaged the friend's property, and made spare keys to her home without her knowledge.
When she texted Tyus and asked him to return the money he owed her, he said in part, "If you wish to pass out threats that's cool too ... you're truly unsure what I'm capable of if you wish to place our place of employment on the line."
The woman sought an emergency temporary protection order, which was denied and scheduled for a full hearing.
Police said the woman told them she was "concerned for her safety" because she lived in the district Tyus worked and encountered him often due to her job as a sheriff's deputy.
Tyus pleaded guilty to the charge of attempt to menacing by stalking, a second-degree misdemeanor, in October 2022.
Theetge said Tyus' police powers were suspended and he was assigned to an administrative role once the department was made aware of his actions.
"What Darryl Tyus did by knowingly stalking a (woman), causing her to feel threatened and fear for her life, is the exact behavior our officers are sworn to prevent," Theetge said in a release. "For the Cincinnati Police Department, the community’s trust is the foundation of what gives us the authority to perform our daily duties. Tyus not only broke that trust, but he broke the law that he took an honorable oath to enforce."
Tyus' termination date is effective Tuesday, Jan. 31.
