WAS FORMER PERRY POLICE CHIEF SETUP? IT MOST LIKELY DEPENDS ON HOW ONE DEFINES SETUP

On July 03, 2009 The Repository ran the the story: Was ex-Perry chief set up? (Benjamin Duer).

The Duer piece prompted some interesting questions.

Since the "set up" notion was suggested in The Rep, the SCPR has had some interesting input on the question of whether or not Tim Escola was lured into a trap.

Yesterday, the SCPR was contacted by a source, (a different source from the one cited in the initial blog on the set up subject matter (CLICK HERE FOR A QUICK CONNECT) that casts doubt on the set up suggestion or at least a different interpretation of the notion of a set up in terms of the calendar of events and person who may or may not have been involved.

Here is the souce's scenario (which is referred to below as the source's theory, but which the source believes is actually what happened).

As we all know, Chief Escola and a subordinate officer England went to Cincinnati to pick up a prisoner on June 2nd.

As a parenthetical, an area law official tells the SCPR that this is an unusual arrangement. First, chief very rarely go pick up prisoners, and, second rookie officers are not normally chosen for the task either.

Obviously, with the publication of a video on line showing Escola and England kissing, someone had turned on the camera recording inside the police car activities. The Report's source believes that the person was Ms. England. However, the turn-on is not thought to be purposeful, but inadvertently (she did not understand exactly how to operate the camera).

Next, it is theorized that procedures brought by Escola to Perry from his prior law enforcement post in Jackson Township, had cruiser videos reviewed each and every month on the 20th of the month. The source believes that is why the "kissing video" was not discovered until June 20th.

This is the point at which, according to the theory, it becomes murky as to the extent a township official became involved in the confrontation with Escola over the contents of the video of the Cincinnati trip.

The SCPR's source firmly believes that the controversial recording was taken to Trustee Capaldi because the conveyor thought that Capaldi had enough of an interest in the subject matter of the recording to be motivated to take action.

• A note: In the update to the SCPR's original report on the "set up" proffered by The Rep, it is pointed out that Trustee Capaldi denies that she had any involvement whatsoever in the events leading up to the resignation of Escola.

If the source is correct in his theory, then one can conjure up that the set up, if one wishes to stay with that expression, was of a much different variety than originally thought.

Under this way of thinking, the person who took the video to Capaldi, do so knowing that she would set the wheels in motion to deal with the inappropriate conduct that took place in the cruiser.

In terms of results (whoever got the ball rolling or carried the ball), Perry Township ended up with a resigned police chief.

Needless to say, these are interesting times in Perry Township.

WHO WILL PERRY TOWNSHIP TRUSTEES TURN TO TO REPLACE ESCOLA?

With turmoil surrounding the resignation of Tim Escola as police chief in Perry Township, it likely will be a gigantic task for trustees to find an Escola replacement.

One name that has surfaced is Larry Dordea, former police chief in Alliance, who is currently a lieutenant in the Hartville Police Department and who ran unsuccessfully against Sheriff Tim Swanson in November, 2008.

Some in Hartville believe that Dordea is a "police chief in waiting," if George Dragovich ever makes good on his promise to retire. Dragovich has come under criticism in recent years over several incidents described elsewhere in the Stark County Political Report. The SCPR is critical of Dragovich and has written that it is time for him to move on.

He had been on record on saying he would retire in June, 2009. Well, let's see it's July 4, 2009 and no word on an imminent Dragovich retirement. Is Dordea going to be content to be a "police chief in waiting" much longer.

Probably not.

So, does this make him a prime candidate for the Perry job?

Dordea has told the SCPR that he has had contact from Perry Township based folks but not an official inquiry as to his availability.

It will be interesting to see whether or not the Perry trustees show any interest in Dordea.

Dordea certainly has effective police leadership credentials.

Even his opponent Sheriff Tim Swanson had nothing but positive things to say about Dordea's leadership as police chief in Alliance when the SCPR interviewed Swanson in the course of the 2008 election cycle.

Clearly, the pressure is on the Perry trustees to get the new hire right.