EDITOR’S NOTE: This story was updated at 3:22 p.m. with the filing of formal charges.
POLK — The chief of Polk Jackson Perry Fire District was arrested Thursday following a months-long investigation into potential crimes against children, according to the Ashland County Sheriff’s Office.
Brandon Mosher, 36, is being held at Richland County Jail pending charges.
Ashland County Sheriff Kurt Schneider said he expects formal charges to be filed by the Ashland County prosecutor on Friday. The prosecutor was not immediately available to comment.
Charges had not been filed as of Friday at noon.
ACSO issued a vague press release Thursday about a search warrant the agency executed with the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation.
Schneider confirmed the search warrant led to Mosher’s arrest, which happened Thursday morning at the village’s fire station along East Congress Street.
When asked, Schneider declined to provide additional details about the investigation, aided by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation.
“The search warrant was a result of an ongoing investigation by the BCI and the Ashland County Sheriff’s Office. The investigation originated several months ago after receiving a tip from Internet Crimes Against Children,” read the press release.
Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) is a national network of 61 task forces and more than 5,400 law enforcement agents that are “dedicated to investigating, prosecuting and developing effective responses to internet crimes against children,” according to its website.
Schneider declined to comment on the specific crimes Mosher is alleged to have committed.
“But the fact this came from Internet Crimes Against Children speaks for itself,” he said.
According to its website, the ICAC Program came in response to “the increasing number of children and teenagers using the Internet and other technology, the proliferation of child sexual abuse images available electronically, and the heightened online activity by predators seeking unsupervised contact with potential underage victims.”
The sheriff said Mosher is being held in Richland County for his safety.
“Whenever we have a pretty prominent figure of the community like Brandon, we’ll hold them in another facility as a safeguard for their safety,” he said.
Mosher has worked as the village’s fire chief since June 2015.
His LinkedIn profile also lists a current job with the City of Fremont’s fire department, as a lieutenant.
Officials with the city of Fremont confirmed his employment. However, Mosher will be placed on unpaid administrative leave pending the investigation, said Ken Frost, the city’s safety services director.
Mosher has worked for Fremont’s fire department since 2013. Frost said there has never been anything negative about Mosher’s performance.
“And no complaints — nothing that would raise alarm on our end for sure,” Frost said.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.