May 3 – A Dayton police sergeant who was accused of misconduct by several women in a private Facebook chat group titled “Are We Dating the Same Guy?” pleaded guilty to three felony charges, authorities said.
Joseph Setty, 42, of Farmersville, pleaded guilty Thursday in Montgomery County Common Pleas Court to charges of unlawful restraint, a third-degree misdemeanor, and two counts of disorderly conduct, a fourth-degree misdemeanor, according to Butler County Assistant Kraig Chadrick. prosecutor.
Several women accused Setty of engaging in sexual acts without their consent, and one woman said she believed Setty would not let her leave his house unless she engaged in sexual activity, according to investigative files from the Ohio Attorney General’s Office of Criminal Investigation obtained by this news organization.
Chadrick, who was named a special prosecutor in the case to avoid a conflict of interest with local authorities, told this newspaper that while the evidence supported allegations that “sexual crimes” had occurred, the specific details incidents precluded the filing of sex crime charges. crimes.
Chadrick said sex offenses in Ohio can be filed when the suspects use force, or the victim is a minor, or when there is a special relationship between the parties, such as if the suspect is a teacher or a coach and the victim was a student or player. , or if a police officer engaged in sexual activity with a detained person.
Although Setty is a police officer, he did not use his position in law enforcement to coerce victims into engaging in sexual activity, Chadrick said.
“This is one of the difficulties encountered in this type of case: there is a considerable reduction from criminal offenses to crimes of sexual imposition,” he told the news agency.
Attorney Antony “Tony” Abboud, an associate at the Gounaris Abboud law firm in Dayton, represents Setty. He did not respond to requests for comment from the Dayton Daily News. In March 2023, he told Ohio BCI Senior Special Agent John Rodriguez that his client denied the allegations and declined to be interviewed, according to the BCI report.
Setty has not yet been sentenced. Chadrick said Setty could face up to 150 days in jail or probation, but he has not discussed sentencing with the victims so he does not yet have a recommendation.
Facebook group chat
Setty was “relieved of duty” in late March 2023 after Lt. Col. Eric Henderson, deputy chief and deputy director of the Dayton Police Department, was informed by an administrative sergeant of screenshots of media posts social events in which two women accused Setty of sexual behavior. mischief. Due to the seriousness of the allegations, Dayton police requested BCI conduct a criminal investigation.
According to investigation files, the allegations were posted online in a private Facebook group called “Are We Dating the Same Guy?” Cincinnati/Dayton.”
Group chat allows women to share information about the men they date in an attempt to identify cheaters and…
