GEAUGA COUNTY, Ohio — Chester Township police officer Nicholas Iacampo is facing a charge of felony sexual battery.
The allegations of sexual battery involve a teenager, with the complaint made to Geauga County Sheriff's deputies while Iacampo was on duty.
The Chester Township Police Department says it was contacted by the Geauga County Sheriff's Office and an investigation was initiated. 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.
Iacampo was arrested on Sunday by detectives from the Lake County Sheriff's Office. The 29-year-old appeared in Chardon Municipal Court on Monday and bond was set at $50,000. Iacampo posted 10% bond and will be due back in court for a preliminary hearing on Aug. 18.
"This allegation was just made so the focus today was to make sure that Mr. Iacampo was released from custody," Iacampo's attorney Ian Friedman said in a statement to 3News. "Now that he is home, we await the evidence in order to prepare all appropriate defenses."
The Lake County Sheriff's Office's investigation is continuing. Meanwhile, the Geauga County Court of Common Pleas appointed Lake County Prosecuting Attorney Charles E. Coulson as the special prosecutor in the case. The request for a special prosecutor in this case was made by the Geauga County Prosecutor because Iacampo's mother is Chardon Municipal Court Judge Terri Stupica, and a Wayne County judge presided over Monday's proceedings to avoid a conflict of interest.
In the meantime, Iacampo has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the Lake County Sheriff's Office's investigation.
In a phone conversation with 3News' Senior Crime and Justice Correspondent Lydia Esparra, Chester Township Police Chief Craig Young says his department is in "complete shock" at the allegations against Iacampo. Young added that Iacampo temporarily served as a school resource officer at West Geauga High School from January through June of the previous school year.
"The West Geauga Local School District is in communication with the Chester Police Department and will cooperate fully with law enforcement officials as they conduct their investigation," West Geauga Local Schools Superintendent Dr. Richard Markwaradt told 3News in a statement.
According to his LinkedIn page, Iacampo joined the Chester Township Police Department in February of 2019. Previously, he was a member of the Geauga County Sheriff's Office. Iacampo graduated from John Carroll University in 2016 with a degree in Forensic Psychology. He was also a member of the Blue Streaks football team.
This is a developing story. Stay with 3News for more details as they become available.