Investigator: Ex-Butler County corrections officer put ‘every officer in the state of Ohio at risk with his actions’

FIRST REPORT: Ex-Butler County corrections officer arrested on several felonies

Butler County Common Pleas Court Judge Jennifer McElfresh on Thursday sentenced Moore to 12 months in prison and a concurrent sentence of 180 days in the Butler County Jail. He faced a maximum sentence of 36 months in prison.

The items smuggled into the Butler County Jail for cash included cellphones, miscellaneous tools and protein powder, according to the sheriff’s office. The alleged crime occurred between July and Aug. 24, 2018, according to the indictment. Moore was paid for the times.

Deputies, corrections officers and detectives were at the front of the courtroom watching the sentencing. Butler County Sheriff’s Specialist Mike Farthing, who investigated the case, said Moore’s actions endangered fellow officers.

“He provided cellphones to inmates. Inmates that were found with the cellphones have been under investigation for trying to get witnesses killed,” Farthing said. “These cellphones constitute a major risk to every officer who works for the sheriff’s office. He put the lives of the citizens of the state of Ohio and every officer in the state of Ohio at risk with his actions.”

MORE: Arrest warrant withdrawn for 4th suspect in homicide of well-known Middletown man

Moore offered an apology before sentencing.

“I have accepted my actions,” Moore said. “My apologies go out to the Hamilton community for committing a crime and breaching a trust and also to the sheriff’s department. My actions, I assure you, are not a reflection of the person that I am.”

Defense attorney Jim Hardin asked that Moore be placed on community control, saying he made “a very bad choice” but that he is a “fine young man” who wants to be a role model in the future. The attorney also pointed to letters of support from his family and neighbors.

Moore, who had nearly completed the law enforcement academy, was hired by the sheriff’s office as a corrections officer in September 2017. He was a probationary corrections officer and was terminated when the investigation began.

The judge noted Moore’s lack of criminal past but also said he committed the crimes for monetary gain and placed officers and inmates at risk.

More: Man arrested for allegedly damaging Hamilton business, fighting officers, exposing himself