Sheriff Department Identifies Deputy Connected With Racially Offensive Social Media Post

  • Monday, June 22, 2020

The Hamilton County Sheriff's Office confirmed that the photo depicting a uniformed deputy related to "a racially offensive social media post" is Deputy Carl Ritchey.

 

Officials said Deputy Ritchey is currently on medical leave that began on May 28 and presently his status remains the same.

 

On Friday, the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office said it "was made aware of a racially offensive social media post suggesting taking violent actions toward those involved with Black Lives Matter.  

"On this same date, the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office initiated a fact finding investigation by our Criminal Investigations Division as well as a parallel internal investigation being conducted by our Internal Affairs Division.

"The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office has made the Hamilton County District Attorney’s Office aware of the post.

We are also coordinating our investigative efforts with the local FBI Office and their specialized units."

Officials earlier said, "There is not an employee who works at the HCSO by the name listed on the social media account therefore HCSO detectives are following all leads and utilizing forensic tools to identify and validate the source of the post. At this point, the suspect who placed the post has not been positively identified as an employee of the HCSO."

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