Ohio Officer Resigns After Facebook Post Accusing Him Of Following A Woman Home Goes Viral

A Rossford, Ohio police officer resigned on Tuesday after Facebook messages of him admitting to using the police database to look up a woman’s information have gone viral.

Emily Hackler, 21, posted on Facebook that she noticed a black truck following while she was on her way home from Planet Fitness. A few hours later, she received a direct message on Facebook from officer Glenn Goss, Jr.

“Had fun racing you on Crossroad and 795 earlier,” Goss, Jr.’s message began. He then admitted that he used the police database to run her license plate number to find out who she was and then located her on Facebook.

In her Facebook post, Hackler said she was not racing Goss, but that she was speeding because someone was following her, and she as presumably scared.

Goss called her a “hottie” and sent her a picture of himself in uniform. Hackler felt that officer Goss’ actions constituted stalking and harassment.

“It’s an invasion of privacy for sure. He was in his personal vehicle. You’re not allowed to stop or look up anyone’s information without probable cause, so the fact that he was not in his official work vehicle, it got me thinking, ‘How did this happen? Why did he search my plate number to get my information?’ It did make me feel very uneasy,” she told the Toledo Blade.

Goss was placed on administrative leave by Rossford City Officials on Monday. Officer Goss resigned before the investigation against him was complete, but the city concluded that Goss’s actions called for termination, and the results of the investigation will be placed in his personnel file.

The case was then turned over to the Ohio State Highway Patrol for a criminal investigation since it is against the law for an officer to use the police database for personal use.

“We wanted to take it out of the department itself. We first looked at the Wood County Sheriff to do the investigation, but Glenn, Jr., had worked there in the past, so we thought this was most transparent and generous way to do an investigation,” Rossford Mayor Neil MacKinnon III said to the Toledo Blade.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Since Hackler’s accusation, another woman, Taylor Yarder, has come forward to say she was stopped by Officer Goss for speeding last year, and after their encounter, he sent her messages on Facebook. Yarder didn’t answer, and Goss apologized and did not message her further.

Goss, Jr. is the son of former police chief Glenn Goss, Sr. According to the paper, Goss, Sr. previously resigned as police chief but still an officer with the department.