Pretrial for ex-Leesburg police officer

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A continuance in the case against a former Leesburg police officer was granted Tuesday by Hillsboro Municipal Court Judge David McKenna.

In the pretrial hearing, Tuesday, Jan. 26 at 10 a.m. was the agreed upon date and time for Roy Stephens, 32, Leesburg, to return to McKenna’s courtroom.

McKenna told the court that due to the current rise in COVID-19 cases, he would not be scheduling any jury trials in the immediate future.

Stephens’ attorney, James Boulger, assured McKenna he would have discovery of evidence completed in his client’s case by the late January date.

Tuesday was the third pretrial hearing held in the proceedings against Stephens, who is charged with furnishing alcohol to a 12-year-old girl and later exposing himself to her at a Father’s Day party held at his home in Fairfield Township.

According to court records, the first-degree misdemeanor charges stem from an incident that was claimed to have occurred during the weekend of June 20-21, with the alleged victim and her mother reporting the incident to the Highland County Sheriff’s Office on June 21.

On July 2, a formal complaint against Stephens was filed, which was the same day that Highland County Sheriff Donnie Barrera said that Stephens turned himself in.

Following an arraignment hearing in municipal court, Stephens was released on an own recognizance bond that ordered him to have no contact with the alleged victim and to observe an 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew unless he was working.

A conviction of furnishing alcohol to a minor, according to the Ohio Revised Code, carries with it a maximum of six months in jail and a fine of up to $1,000.

If found guilty on the charge of indecent exposure, Stephens could be forced to register with the state annually for the next 15 years as a Tier I sex offender.

Reach Tim Colliver at 937-402-2571.

Former Leesburg Police Sergeant Roy Stephens (left) and attorney James Boulger are shown at Tuesday’s pretrial hearing in Hillsboro Municipal Court.
https://www.timesgazette.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/33/2020/11/web1_Stephens-Boulger-24-Nov-20.jpgFormer Leesburg Police Sergeant Roy Stephens (left) and attorney James Boulger are shown at Tuesday’s pretrial hearing in Hillsboro Municipal Court. Tim Colliver | The Times-Gazette
No jury trials in current Covid climate, says McKenna

By Tim Colliver

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