Ex-officer charged in abuse of database

WAPAKONETA - A former St. Marys police officer accused of driving by his estranged wife's home on multiple occasions and running the license plates of vehicles parked outside through a law enforcement database was indicted last week in Auglaize County Common Pleas Court on four felony counts of unauthorized use of LEADS.

Lucas M. Wessel, 39, was indicted on Friday on four counts of unauthorized use of LEADS, a fifth-degree felony. If convicted, he faces up to four years in prison and a maximum fine of $10,000.

Wessel has not yet retained an attorney for the case or entered a plea on the charges.

The Law Enforcement Automated Database System (LEADS) is the database Ohio law enforcement officers use to check driving records, identify owners of vehicles from license plates, run a criminal history on a person and many other law enforcement functions.

A six-month investigation into the alleged violations was conducted by the Mercer County Sheriff's Office at the request of St. Marys city officials after they were contacted by Wessel's wife, Sheriff Doug Timmerman said. The Auglaize County Sheriff's Office declined to conduct the investigation to avoid any potential conflict of interest.

Wessel, then a St. Marys patrolman, was placed on paid leave in February pending the outcome of the criminal investigation. He resigned on July 22 before any charges were brought forth after almost 12 years with the department.

Investigators learned over the course of their inquiry that on at least four separate occasions between Nov. 28, 2024, and Dec. 31, 2024, outside of his jurisdiction as a St. Marys police officer, Wessel allegedly drove by his wife's home and ran the license plates of vehicles parked outside the residence through LEADS in an effort "to learn who it may have been at his separated wife's residence," Timmerman said.

Wessel and his wife are still legally married but separated as their divorce proceedings are ongoing. She was granted a civil stalking protection order against him in March.

Timmerman stressed that allegations such as those against Wessel jeopardize the reputation of all area law enforcement officials.

"At the end of the day, people need to know that there are checks and balances for everything, and we're (law enforcement) no more important than the next person, and this is completely inappropriate," he said.

A special prosecutor outside of Mercer and Auglaize counties was assigned to the case to avoid further conflict of interest. Timmerman was not able to say which county the prosecutor is from as of press time.

Wessel is scheduled to appear in court on Monday for an arraignment and bond hearing.