
A former officer with the West Chester Township Police Department, Michelle Berling, has entered a guilty plea on a charge of tampering with evidence directly related to a death investigation, as reported by WCPO. The charge, a third-degree felony, occurred between Aug. 8 and Aug. 13, with the Butler County Prosecutor, Michael Gmoser, specifying that Berling altered Flock camera data and images tied to the case; she additionally misused police resources for personal information gathering, the grand jury report revealed.
Following her plea deal, Berling might serve up to 36 months in prison, facing a possibility of a fine amounting to $10,000. Her sentencing has been scheduled for Feb. 24. The indictment stemmed from activities around the death of a 33-year-old woman in June on Schumacher Park Drive. Yet, prosecutors have concluded that Berling's interference did not impact the investigation's outcome, the death being classified as an accidental overdose, as Gmoser confirmed to FOX19 NOW late last year.
The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation conducted an independent investigation after West Chester authorities detected possible policy violations in Berling's conduct during August. In light of the guilty plea, her attorney declined to make a statement while the case remains state pending, with sentencing not concluded until the February court appearance, learned through Cincinnati.com.
Berling's career in law enforcement began in 2000 at the Butler County Sheriff’s Office, transitioning to the West Chester Police Department in July 2002, where she filled roles ranging from public affairs officer to an intelligence analyst within their Criminal Investigations Section, according to details provided by her LinkedIn page and state records that were cited by the sources above. The guilty plea also strips her of the ability to serve as a law enforcement officer ever again in Ohio, with the consequence being an incontrovertible truth, a failed bastion of justice in the annals of public trust.