CHARDON, Ohio — Former Chester Township police officer Nicholas Iacampo pleaded not guilty to two charges, including felony sexual battery, during an online arraignment on Tuesday.
A personal recognizance bond for Iacampo was set at $20,000 and he was ordered to appear for booking at the Geauga County Sheriff's Office within 24 hours. He was also ordered to have no contact with the alleged victim or her family. A pretrial hearing has been set for Feb. 21, 2024.
Last month, Iacampo was indicted by a Geauga County grand jury on a felony charge of sexual battery as well as a misdemeanor charge of contributing to the unruliness or deliquency of a child.
The case against Iacampo began in August, when he was first accused of and arrested for sexual battery involving a 16-year-old girl. The complaint was made to Geauga County Sheriff's deputies while Iacampo was on duty.
The Lake County Sheriff's Office was brought in as a "third-party" investigative unit because Iacampo's mother is Chardon Municipal Court Judge Terri Stupica. In addition, Lake County Prosecutor Charles Coulson was brought in as the special prosecutor in the case. Coulson later dropped the sexual battery charge, deeming it unconstitutional. However, the criminal investigation continued.
Iacampo resigned as a member of the Chester Township Police Department in September.
The previous charge against Iacampo was based on the Ohio Revised Code that specifies a felony charge if the offender is a peace officer, the other person is a minor, and the offender is more than two years older than the other person. Whomever violates this section is charged with sexual battery.
But in 2016, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled the statute unconstitutional, stating that police officers cannot be held to a higher standard than the rest of the public when it comes to having sex with minors. However, the state's legislative branch failed to amend the statute to reflect the court's ruling, meaning the sexual battery charge against Iacampo would need to be dismissed.
Retired Portage County Common Pleas Court Judge John Enlow is presiding over the case.
Previous Reporting:
- Former Chester Township police officer Nicholas Iacampo indicted for sexual battery
- Chester Township police officer Nicholas Iacampo, previously charged with sexual battery, resigns
- Sexual battery charge against Chester Township police officer dismissed; new charges still possible
- 'He is messing around with my 16-year-old daughter': 911 call of father reporting Geauga County officer's alleged assault on daughter released