Waterville Township officer faces charge for image on work computer

David Krego, a Waterville, Ohio, police officer, was found to have images of nude young girls on his work computer. Enlarge

A Waterville Township patrolman has been indicted by a Lucas County grand jury for allegedly viewing and downloading a nude photograph of a female juvenile on a township computer while on duty.

David Krego, 42, of Toledo, is charged with illegal use of minor in nudity-oriented material or performance, a fifth-degree felony. If convicted, the officer faces up to one year in prison and would be classified as a sexual oriented offender.

The indictment filed Wednesday alleges that Officer Krego “did possess or view any material or performance that showed a minor who was not the person’s child or ward in a state of nudity.” The indictment further states that the incident allegedly occurred on Dec. 23, 2010.

“The material was recovered from a computer,” said John Weglian, chief of the special units division for the prosecutor’s office, noting that of the several images discovered, only one qualified as a felony offense. “He did not create this stuff, it was something he viewed.”

According to the Waterville Township police department Web site, Officer Krego was hired as a patrolman in 1996. Formerly a Marine, the officer is currently assigned to routine patrol and traffic enforcement, the site said.

Township Trustee Brett Warner said that Officer Krego has been “off the duty schedule” for several weeks, although he remains a member of the department. Mr. Warner said that the trustees were made aware of the investigation, which was initiated by the police department and subsequently turned over to the prosecutor’s office.

“The township has been cooperating with the investigation for quite some time,” he said. “….We’re letting the system take its course and we’ll take action after that if need be.”

Officer Krego is scheduled to be arraigned Jan. 18 before Lucas County Common Pleas Judge Gary Cook. He will be taken into custody at the time to be photographed and fingerprinted.

Police Chief Norbert Miller could not be reached for comment Thursday afternoon.

Mr. Weglian said that the investigation was begun by the township department after problems with the computer led to maintenance of the machine.

“In the process of doing that, they came across the images,” Mr. Weglian said. He added that the image found on the computer was of an unknown naked girl, approximately between the ages of 12 and 14.

Mr. Weglian declined to comment further on the investigation.

According to township records, Officer Krego has been given both accolades and reprimands during his time as a patrolman for Waterville Township. He has received several annual Mothers Against Drunk Driving awards for the most drunken driver arrests and is the department’s “ASP,” or collapsible baton, instructor.

In August, 2008, he faced internal charges of insubordination. A hearing was held by the trustees to consider the allegations, including falling asleep while on duty and engaging in an unauthorized vehicle pursuit. According to the minutes of an Aug. 27, 2008, meeting, the trustees voted unanimously to clear the officer of all charges giving him “a clean slate.”

The Waterville Township police department had a change of leadership in 2009 after the former chief, Kathleen Hartle, resigned amid allegations that she had an open container of alcohol in her police cruiser.

Ms. Hartle had been suspended at the time she submitted her resignation as chief of police. No criminal charges had been filed in relation to the incident.

Contact Erica Blake at: eblake@theblade.com or 419-213-2134.