Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office employee arrested for allegedly stealing property

CINCINNATI - Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office arrested one of their own members of the department after a six-month investigation led them to believe the employee was stealing items from the property room.

A 10-year veteran of the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office, Michael Esposito was arrested Tuesday night and placed on unpaid administrative leave after allegations surfaced that he worked with two others to steal from the Hamilton County Sheriff’s property room located at 11021 Hamilton Avenue. The property room houses the department's property, evidence, the officers' personal belongings and more, said Hamilton County Sheriff's Office spokesperson Jim Knapp.

"This was brought to my attention and I can tell you this will not be tolerated on my watch,” said Hamilton County Sheriff Jim Neil in a news release. “I appreciate the hard work of our Regional Narcotics Unit, along with the cooperation of the Hamilton County Prosecutor's Office which culminated in the outcome of these arrests."

Officials say Michael, who served as the supervisor of the property room at the time, stole items from the room with the help of his wife, Allison Esposito and her son, Adam Fintak. The three individuals were each charged with one count of tampering with evidence, which is a felony. Officials have not released information about the amount of property the trio took or its value.

Sheriff’s deputies arrested Michael, Allison and Fintak and transported them to the Hamilton County Justice Center, where they are being held.

Michael joined the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office in November 2001 and had been the property room supervisor since January 2002.

Authorities are investigating the case and additional charges are pending.

Stay with 9 On Your Side and WCPO.com for updates as they become available.

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