Jeffrey T. Moorhead, an Ohio State Highway Patrol officer of Jackson, was accused on Monday of threatening an inmate in the Southeastern Ohio Regional Jail.
Moorhead pled not guilty to an indictment charging theft in office, a felony of the fifth degree; dereliction of duty, a misdemeanor of the second degree; trespass in a habitation, a felony of the fourth degree; burglary, a felony of the second degree and interfering with civil rights, a misdemeanor of the first degree.
Keller J. Blackburn, the Athens County prosecuting attorney, said that Moorhead is accused of entering the jail while on duty and using his position to obtain an interview room which he used to threaten an inmate due to personal issues, according to a Facebook post.
“Moorhead’s actions are alleged to have taken place while he was on paid duty through the Jackson Post of the Highway Patrol and it does not appear that he had official business to conduct at the facility,” Blackburn said on the post.
The case was investigated by the Nelsonville Police Department and the Athens County Prosecutor’s Office.
Judge Patrick J. Lang set a $7,500.00 signature bond and scheduled a jury trial for Oct. 30.
