In a jury trial in Clinton County Municipal Court, a former Blanchester woman has been found guilty of filing a false allegation of misconduct against a peace officer.

Sandra Howard, formerly of Blanchester, was found guilty Saturday by a jury hearing the case in the municipal court.

The charges stemmed from an incident in 2008 after Howard was taken into custody by a Blanchester officer. Howard alleged the officer touched her inappropriately.

“After the filing of her complaint, Blanchester Police Chief Scott Reinbolt requested an outside investigation by the Clinton County Sheriff’s Office, which subsequently cleared the officer of any wrongdoing,” said Andrew McCoy, an assistant Clinton County prosecuting attorney.

During the trial, McCoy pointed out that none of the multiple witnesses observed the officer act in any way unprofessionally and that Howard did not raise the allegations until several days later after she learned she would likely be facing criminal charges as a result of the officer’s investigation.

Commenting on the case, McCoy stated that he “was pleased the jury understood that Howard had manufactured the story in an attempt to discredit the officer.”

McCoy further noted that “law enforcement personnel are particularly vulnerable to these types of allegations because the very nature of their job requires that they interact with dishonest people.”

McCoy added that he “appreciated the professionalism and patience of the officer in this case” as well as the assistance of Lt. Brian Edwards of the Clinton County Sheriff’s Office.

Municipal Court Judge Chad L. Carey ordered Howard appear at the Clinton County Jail this week to begin serving a 90-day jail sentence, McCoy said.

Judge Carey “indicated that he would release her early and suspend the balance of time on condition that Howard receive an evaluation for underlying mental health, dependency and anger management issues and follow through with any and all recommendations,” McCoy said.