CLEVELAND — Michael Bernhardt, a former Rocky River police officer, who is accused of illegally searching the Ohio Law Enforcement Gateway and Law Enforcement Automated Database System more than 70 times in a 10-year period, appeared in court on Tuesday morning.
According to Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court records, Bernhardt, who also previously worked as a school resource officer at Rocky River High School, entered a not guilty plea for the following charges:
- 11 counts of unauthorized use of the Ohio Law Enforcement Gateway (OHLEG)
- 1 count of Unauthorized Use of the Law Enforcement Automated Database System (LEADS)
- 1 count of possessing criminal tools
In addition, he was given a $5,000 bond, which officials say has since been posted.
Bernhardt is scheduled to appear back in court for a pretrial on April 17 at 9 a.m.
CASE DETAILS
Last month, on March 26, Bernhardt was indicted by a Cuyahoga County grand jury…