Investigation opened after complaint made against local trustee

BEAVERCREEK TOWNSHIP — An investigation has been opened into complaints made against a Beavercreek Township trustee.

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The Beavercreek Township Board of Trustees held a special meeting Wednesday night to consider complaints against a public official.

At the meeting, the trustees voted to authorize its Legal Advisor, Dawn Frick, and the township administrator to open an investigation into Trustee Debborah Wallace.

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News Center 7 crews at the meeting learned that the Board of Trustees received a written complaint with allegations involving “senior-level staff” and an “elected official.”

Beavercreek Township Trustee President Tom Kretz said the complaint alleged that Wallace tried to exert influence over a senior employee with the township.

That employee was then reportedly asked to lie on behalf of Wallace.

This employee was allegedly asked to verify a story that Wallace had already given to the township administrator.

“The premise of the request was based on things that essentially this employee’s peers and supervisors have already acknowledged and stated that some of those comments and justifications and reasons for a trustee sharing confidential information outside of executive session to this employee were based on lies,” Kretz said during the meeting.

Several township officials, including the township administrator and another trustee, corroborated that what was shared was not true.

“I would like to recommend, the board, that we authorize Ms. Frick and the township administrator to initiate the process to conduct an investigation into the allegations and complaints that have been filed in writing and verbally,” Kretz said.

Trustees Kretz and Jessica Dean voted in favor of initiating an investigation, and Wallace voted against it.

Additional details weren’t immediately available.

News Center 7 reached out to the Board of Trustees for more information. We will continue to follow this story.

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