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Former St. Clair cop facing prison for three felonies

LISBON — A former St. Clair Township police officer pleaded guilty to three felony charges, including theft in office, during a hearing before Judge Megan Bickerton in county Common Pleas Court on Friday.

Joseph G. Brophey, 58, St. Clair Avenue, East Liverpool, faces up to 66 months in prison and a $17,500 fine, after pleading guilty to theft in office, breaking and entering and tampering with records.

Brophey has agreed to pay $20,191 in restitution to St. Clair Township and Stephanie Anderson, a prosecutor from the Ohio Attorney General’s Office, suggested during the plea hearing that it be done prior to the date of his sentencing, which was set for Jan. 27.

Brophey appeared with defense attorney Dominic Frank and pleaded guilty to the three amended charges, reduced from the seven he had initially faced. One reduced the amount of money he was accused of stealing between Jan. 26, 2010 and Jan. 5, 2016, making it a fourth-degree felony instead of a third-degree felony.

Instead of a third-degree felony burglary charge, Brophey pleaded to a fourth-degree felony breaking and entering charge for entering the secured office of Police Chief Donald Hyatt on Feb. 21, 2016, when Brophey reportedly fell through the ceiling while doing so.

Finally, the tampering with records charge, a third-degree felony, was for different dates, when he changed his biweekly timesheets to claim overtime for court appearances for various courts.

— Deanne Johnson

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