Former sheriff's sergeant indicted on rape charge

7/10/2018
BY RYAN DUNN
BLADE STAFF WRITER

A former Lucas County Sheriff's Office sergeant was indicted Tuesday on a charge of rape.

The grand jury handed up the indictment against Joseph Gorney, a 24-year veteran of the office. The charge is a first-degree felony.

A Toledo police report identified Mr. Gorney, 50, as the suspect in a sexual assault investigation. The incident reportedly occurred during the early morning of June 2 in the city.

Mr. Gorney and the woman knew each other, but were not in a relationship, said Jeff Lingo, chief of the criminal division of the Lucas County Prosecutor's Office.

The sergeant was not on duty at the time, Mr. Lingo said.

Mr. Gorney submitted his resignation letter June 22. It cites “recent events” as a cause for him stepping down, but does not specify.

Mr. Gorney is also the subject of a use-of-force investigation. He was accused of using his stun gun three times on an apparently drunken and combative man. The man was restrained in Mr. Gorney’s cruiser, an incident report shows.

That call occurred about 7:30 p.m. June 2 at a wedding reception in Monclova Township. It is the same day as the reported sexual assault.

A state Bureau of Criminal Investigation spokesman said the latter case remains open, and the findings have been provided to the prosecutor. No charges have yet been filed.

The Maumee prosecutor's office did not return a call seeking comment. Attempts to reach Mr. Gorney were unsuccessful, and court records do not list an attorney at this point.

Contact Ryan Dunn at rdunn@theblade.com, 419-724-6095, or on Twitter @RDunnBlade.