Former detective files for early prison release

FREMONT — An attorney for convicted former Sandusky County sheriff's detective Sean O'Connell filed a motion asking a judge to release his client from prison early.Tiffin attorney Dean Henry filed the motion in Sandusky County Common Pleas Court on May 15.O'Connell, 54, is serving a two-year prison sentence in Grafton's Lorain Correctional Institution on a felony evidence tampering charge relating to the Heather Bogle homicide investigation.The charge stems from O'Connell purportedly misleading former Sandusky County Prosecutor Tom Stierwalt in a letter discussing his investigation into the Bogle homicide. O'Connell led the homicide investigation for more than a year before being removed from the case in 2016, and he later resigned.Clyde resident Daniel Myers, 50, was arrested in 2017 and later sentenced to life in prison for Bogle's killing. In his motion, Henry argued O'Connell is eligible to have his sentence reduced because he meets the criteria to do so under Ohio law."Since his entry (into prison), Sean has completed over 60 hours of community service and has no disciplinary record," he wrote.Henry wrote that O'Connell has been working as a library aide and has been attending G.E.D. classes while the prison awaits delivery of his high school transcripts. The motion included a number of letters of support from O'Connell's family and friends.It also included a letter from O'Connell himself, where he talked about his time in prison and how he wants to return to his family."Home has always been an important part of my life," he wrote. "Home is where family is, family that I need and family that needs me."Court administrator Brock Kimmet said Judge Patricia Cosgrove, a retired Summit County judge who presided over O'Connell's case, will make the decision on whether or not to release O'Connell early. There's no scheduled hearing or timetable for that ruling to be made, Kimmet said.While it's not known whether or nor she'll rule in O'Connell's favor, Cosgrove previously criticized O'Connell's decision-making in the Bogle case in the courtroom during his sentencing hearing in September.Addressing Cosgrove, O'Connell said: "It was my primary goal and objective to try to find those persons responsible for Heather's murder, and I apologize if I'd maybe taken the wrong approach, but I can assure you and everyone else I was just trying to follow the leads that had been provided at that point."In response, Cosgrove said: "I don't even know how you can say that. You didn't follow several important leads. You relied on information from people who were lying to you, you knew they were lying to you … still you put them in the report as being viable. You may minimize what you've done here but the ramifications for the Bogle family — going an extra 13 months, almost two years. In essence, once you got off the case, it started all over again."O'Connell's full two-year prison term expires Sept. 7, 2020.View our Sean O'Connell hub for more storiesReach reporter Brandon Addeo at brandonaddeo@sanduskyregister.com, follow him on Twitter @BrandonAddeo and follow the Register at Facebook.com/SanduskyRegisterFormer Sandusky County sheriff's detective Sean O'Connell is imprisoned in the Lorain Correctional Institution. Daniel Myers hearing and sentencing at the Sandusky County Courthouse in Fremont on Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2019.Visiting Judge Patricia Cosgrove addresses O'Connell during his sentencing Thursday, Sept. 13, 2018.