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Prosecutor Delivers 12-Count Indictment Against Glouster Police Chief
By: Tom Hodson
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Update 8:30 p.m. The Trimble village counsel met on Tuesday night and said Lucas Mace has been placed on unpaid, administrative leave, but he has not been fired.
The Athens County Grand Jury issued a 12-count indictment against Glouster Police Chief Lucas Mace. The indictments were announced Tuesday at a press conference conducted by Athens County Prosecutor Keller Blackburn.
The 12 counts include five felonies and seven misdemeanors. The felonies include three fifth-degree felonies of obstructing justice, one fifth-degree felony of theft in office and one fifth-degree felony of possessing criminal tools.
The seven misdemeanors included six second-degree misdemeanors of dereliction of duty and one minor misdemeanor of failure to aid a law enforcement officer.
These indictments all involve Mace’s role in aiding 23-year-old Hillary Hooper to evade the authorities, according to Blackburn. At the time, Hooper had multiple arrest warrants including one for drug use. Mace was dating Hooper, according to Blackburn.
Blackburn also said that officials heard rumors that Mace was dating another 20-something-year-old drug-user but Mace denied having any sexual involvement with her.
“From March 28, 2014 to May 23, 2014, Luke Mace is accused of using his office and position as a dating service, failing to execute valid arrest warrants , and he failed to aid Law Enforcement officers trying to execute said warrants,” Blackburn said.
“It’s a sad day when a public official like Lucas Mace lets our community down and fails to uphold the public trust,” Blackburn added.