Is detective investigation resolved?

PERKINS TWP. — One year after a now-former Erie County Sheriff's Office detective faced accusations that he was romantically involved with a criminal defendant, prosecutors remain mum on whether their investigation is finished, what it determined and if any possible charges are forthcoming. Dan Orzech was placed on leave in late April 2025 following an internal investigation into potential breaches of department policy. The sheriff's office was first notified about the allegations on April 19, 2025, according to a statement released by Sheriff Paul Sigsworth. Orzech had a disciplinary hearing scheduled for April 28, 2025, but submitted his resignation two days before it could commence. When asked about the investigation, Erie County prosecutor Kevin Baxter referred the Register to Huron County prosecutor James Sitterly, who was named special prosecutor for the case. Sitterly did not return multiple calls this week seeking an update on the investigation. Sheriff's statement The sheriff's statement did not identify the defendant, identified as a female, by name. It only stated that she was "currently under indictment in the Erie County Common Pleas Court for multiple felonies." "Mr. Orzech was involved in the investigation of those crimes," Sigsworth wrote. "The sheriff's office is otherwise comprised of excellent and dedicated employees who constantly carry out their sometimes very difficult duties with honesty and integrity," Sigsworth wrote. "Those employees, who are overall dismayed and disgusted by the behavior noted here, have not and would not violate the public trust by engaging in the ethically corrupt behavior engaged in by Mr. Orzech." The sheriff's office also requested Ohio's Bureau of Criminal Investigation to conduct an investigation into potential criminal violations, the statement read. The state agency accepted, and spokesman Steven Irwin said that the BCI investigation ended last October and its findings were referred to the prosecutor.