Meeting explores discrepancies in Widmer investigator personnel records

HAMILTON TWP., Ohio - More fallout from the Ryan Widmer murder trial has been pushed back after a Hamilton Township panel went over alleged discrepancies in the personnel file of the lead police investigator in the Widmer case and decided they need to discuss with certain officials before a decision is made.

While the decision on whether Ryan Widmer will be tried a third time for allegedly murdering his wife is still up in the air, the Hamilton Township Police officer who investigated the 2008 death of Sarah Widmer still finds his future called into question.

A three person administrative panel started to plan how it will investigate allegations of discrepancies in the personnel file of Hamilton Police Lt. Jeff Braley at Tuesday morning. The panel was created by Hamilton Township trustees after Widmer defense attorneys raised questions about at least two documents in Lt. Braley's personnel file.

The panel includes Hamilton Township's assistant administrator, the law director as well as the township's fiscal officer. Tuesday's meeting decided that the committee members must speak with specific people, including the former fire chief and current police chief, before they decide if the documents should be included or taken out of Lt. Braley's file.

Lawyers raised questions about possible false representations made in a job application and resume letter in Braley's personnel file.

Lt. Braley has said he never made those misrepresentations when he was applying to join the Hamilton Township Police.

A judge kept the issue out of the recent re-trial of Ryan Widmer that ended in a hung jury in June.

The panel will meet again to discuss Braley's fate on August 10.