A judge, not a jury, will decide the case of a fired Ohio island village police chief accused of blocking a sexual assault investigation regarding an officer.
The Sandusky Register reports the upcoming jury trial for Robert Lampela was waived in favor of a bench trial.
The former Put-in-Bay police chief was fired months after being charged with dereliction of duty, falsification and other misdemeanors.
State and county investigators have said that Lampela refused to look into sexual assault claims from two employees and hoped to prevent negative publicity for the department. Two lawsuits were filed in July against Lampela and Ottawa County.
His trial is set for Oct. 6 in Ottawa County Municipal Court. He has denied the charges.
