A Brimfield Township police officer was found not guilty last week of a charge that he stole a $15 watch band from a Cuyahoga Falls Best Buy in May.
Officer Russ Diehl, 41, stood trial on Oct. 13 in Stow Municipal Court. He faced a charge of first-degree misdemeanor theft.
According to court documents, he was caught on the store’s surveillance cameras taking the watch band from its case and putting an old band inside, and then hiding the case in the back of a rack with other bands. He wore his police uniform during the incident.
But Diehl’s attorney, Brian Pierce, said the surveillance footage didn’t tell the whole story.
“He went into the store and brought three bands in from home to compare them with new ones,” Pierce said, “and he inadvertently put the wrong band back in the box before he left.”
The store allows customers to remove items from packaging to compare them and confirm they fit products they already own, Pierce said.
A loss prevention officer at the store called police after witnessing the incident on cameras. Police responded by filing a charge, Pierce said, before questioning Diehl.
“It was ridiculous. It’s a shame they didn’t give him the benefit of the doubt,” Pierce said. “They made the decision to charge him before they had a chance to get his side of the story.”
Diehl was placed on administrative leave May 4 and has returned to work since being acquitted, according to the police department.