Former Fowler Township Police Chief James Martin admitted that he had his own informal probation program for juveniles and that it sometimes included spanking.
A jury convicted him last month of 18 misdemeanors but acquitted him of assault charges and the single felony charge -- for taking official records to his house.
Common Pleas Judge Andrew Logan scolded Martin, saying the ex-officer knew or should have known that the spankings were inappropriate. The judge said some had suggested that Martin get the same spanking option he gave the boys, "but that, of course, would have made light of the (legal) process."
...
Martin's defense was that his program was much more than corporal punishment, that it was designed to reform the youths before they went permanently bad and that it required them to follow stringent rules. Those rules included school attendance and obedience to parents.
In a news conference after his sentencing, Martin said, "The good Lord knows what my intentions were all along. I was there to help kids."
Assistant County Prosecutor David Toepfer criticized Martin in court for showing no remorse. He said the former policeman insisted that the boys follow rules but failed to follow them himself.
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