Springfield Township police chief back on duty after Oct. 5 shooting at East Waterloo home
Springfield Township Police Chief Jack Simone returned to full duty last week after he and another officer were placed on paid administrative leave following a fatal shooting Oct. 5.
Simone and Sgt. Joe Gaffney were enforcing a zoning law violation when the shooting occurred as a tow truck operator prepared to remove a vehicle from an East Waterloo Road property.
The two officers arrived about 11:18 a.m. and requested a tow truck to remove the vehicle. A short time later, according to police reports on the incident, resident Jeremy McCracken began firing with a long-barreled revolver. Reports indicate that a Winchester 94 rifle and seven rounds were taken as evidence.
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The officers returned fire, with one bullet striking the 38-year-old McCracken in the torso. McCracken was taken to Akron City Hospital, but died from the wound, despite an officer giving CPR.
Reports do not specify the number of shots fired by McCracken, or Simone and Gaffney, who were placed on paid administrative leave. Such action is customary after police-involved fatal shootings. The state's Bureau of Criminal Investigation unit was asked to take charge of the investigation and was on the scene that day.
The officers, tow truck operator and Trustee Kellie Chapman — who arrived on the scene at an unspecified time — were not injured.
Returning to duty
In a phone interview, Trustee Dean Young said Simone returned on Tuesday and Gaffney is expected to return no later than Monday. The trustee said placing officers on administrative leave can strain a police department's ability to protect and serve, especially in a small department like Springfield Township's.
Although it's common for officers involved in a shooting incident to be placed on leave, that decision — and when to bring an officer back to duty — is entirely the department's to make, Steve Irwin, press secretary for Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, said Friday.
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Because BCI investigations can take months, Young said the decision was made to take Simone and Gaffney off paid administrative leave so they could return to work.
"…(T)he incident doesn't fit into the profile of some of the cases that have aroused a great deal of public interest," Young said.
Unexpected end to zoning matter
Young said the township has stepped up enforcement of its zoning code, especially in the Sawyerwood neighborhood. Simone and Chapman have both taken a lead in meeting with residents to explain the code and its requirements, he said.
"(Chapman) has a lot of enthusiasm and has committed more time than typical in her new position," he said.
Young said that the chief attempts to make personal contact with property owners who have zoning violations. The face-to-face approach has generally worked well for the township, Young said.
"The response (is often), 'Oh, I didn't realize (that). Let me do something about that,'" he said. "At the same time, we have had some more difficult cases."
Irwin could not provide specifics on the Springfield Township incident, but said about 400 hours of work are put into BCI's average officer-involved shooting investigation. They can take several weeks or months to complete, and when they are, the results are sent to the county prosecutor for review.
"The BCI investigation is still open for that incident," Irwin said.
So far this year, the bureau has had 51 requests for officer-involved shooting investigations, Irwin said. There were 69 investigations in 2021 and 50 in 2020.
Young said he is confident the investigation and subsequent review by the Summit County prosecutor will absolve the officers of any wrongdoing.
"The review by the state will take whatever time is necessary," he said. "We feel confident that (it is) going to resolve in a determination the officers responded appropriately."
Leave a message for Alan Ashworth at 330-996-3859 or email him at aashworth@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @newsalanbeaconj.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Springfield Township police chief back on duty after Oct. 5 shooting
