BY JOEL E. MAST
Examiner Correspondent
As expected, former lawman Bradley Staley was granted a three-year term of intervention in lieu of conviction after he entered guilty pleas to misdemeanor operating a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs and improperly handling of firearms in a motor vehicle, a felony of the fifth-degree.
The former Bellefontaine Police Department sergeant appeared Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2025, before Logan County Common Pleas Court Judge Kevin Braig.
Judge Braig suspended Staley’s driver’s license for a year and ordered him to pay a $565 fine. The conviction and suspension was reported to the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles.
As for Staley’s peace officer certification status, it is unclear whether or not he will lose it.
Under Section 109.77 of the Ohio Revised Code, “the executive director of the Ohio peace officer training commission shall revoke any certification” of any officer who pleads guilty to a felony.
However, under an intervention agreement, the guilty plea is in limbo until the end of the three years.
A spokesman for the Ohio Attorney General’s Office, which includes the peace officer training commission, said the office would not offer an opinion on whether or not Staley will lose his commission.
Staley, 34, of West Liberty, made his intentions to plead public on June 3 but Judge Braig postponed accepting the pleas until a court-order pre-sentence investigation was finalized.
In June, Logan County Prosecutor Eric Stewart said Staley would have to enter guilty pleas if the court grants the motion for intervention.
The OVI charge will permanently remain on Staley’s record but the felony firearm charge could be sealed through future court proceedings if the defendant successfully completes treatment and counseling terms set by the court.
“The prosecutor’s office believes that the law should be applied equally to everyone,” Stewart said. “The proposed resolution involved in this case is the same as others similarly charged.”
Stewart noted similar intervention options have been offered to other defendants in recent cases.
Staley, who worked for the BPD for 10 years, was charged April 24, 2025, after police administrators learned the sergeant was on duty and was suspected of being under the influence of alcohol.
Deputies of the Logan County Sheriff’s Office responded around 12:40 a.m. to lead an investigation and met with Staley at the police station.
They reportedly observed an odor of alcohol while talking with Staley, along with slurred speech and bloodshot eyes. He submitted to field sobriety tests, which indicated that he was impaired.
He also submitted to a breathalyzer test, with a reading of 0.116 blood alcohol concentration.
From interviews with other department employees, deputies learned Staley had reported for duty that evening and was present for roll call. While speaking with him after roll call, another employee noticed his demeanor was different from his usual self and said he seemed clumsy and his eyes “didn’t look right.”
He was observed getting in his cruiser and then he reportedly hit the curb in the parking lot, according to a witness statement. Employees immediately contacted a supervisor about their suspicions that the sergeant was impaired. He was immediately placed on administrative leave pending disciplinary proceedings. He resigned his position within days of the incident.
