GEORGETOWN, Ohio — A man who was once a Brown County sheriff's deputy and employed by the Ohio Lottery Commission has been arrested on charges relating to possessing child pornography, according to a press release from the Brown County Sheriff's Office.
The sheriff's office said they received a tip in December that 70-year-old Dennis Chaney had transferred images and videos that could possibly be child pornography. After a months-long investigation, a grand jury indicted Chaney on five counts of illegal use of a minor in nudity-oriented material and five counts of pandering obscenity involving a minor.
Brown County Prosecutor Zachary Corbin said counts 1-5 pertain to five separate and distinct images or videos that were transferred. He added these images or videos show or depict a minor in a state of nudity. Corbin said Chaney didn't create, produce, or direct these images or videos. Corbin noted counts 6-10 are for possession of those five images or videos.
According to court documents, the offenses stretched from November 2017 to November 2022.
The sheriff's office said Chaney was employed as a special deputy at the Brown County Sheriff's Office from September 2011 to December 2013. Chaney recently resigned from his position at the Ohio Lottery Commission, according to the press release.
On April 21, a warrant was issued for Chaney's arrest; police said they took him into custody on Monday. He was arraigned Tuesday afternoon and given a $50,000 bond and ordered to have no contact with minors if he does post bond.
The I-Team filed a public records request with the sheriff's office for Chaney's personnel records and additional documents relating to him.
According to Chaney's job application, he was a contract 'law enforcement professional' with MPRI, a military and law enforcement contractor, from 2009 -2011. He was "embedded with Army to investigate and mentor local national investigators on crimes outside US base boundrys (sic)."
Before that, Chaney had been an officer with the Dayton Police Department from 1973 - 2009, according to his application. Chaney was a bomb squad commander and supervisor for the violent crimes unit. He retired as a Sergeant, according to his application.
In a memorandum, Sheriff Gordon Ellis wrote that the sheriff's office would not release "emails, internet usage evidence and certain search warrants which are currently sealed" because they're trial preparation records and are exempt from release under Ohio statute.
Corbin said Chaney will be back in court for a pretrial hearing on May 18.
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