FINDLAY, Ohio — One of the three suspects charged in the death of Bluffton police officer Dominic Francis took a plea deal and was convicted of multiple charges in the Hancock County Common Pleas Court Tuesday.
Court records show Dante Tate pleaded guilty to charges of receiving stolen property and complicity of receiving stolen property. Prosecutors dropped charges of improperly handling a firearm in a motor vehicle and theft of a motor vehicle.
Both of the charges Tate pleaded guilty to carry maximum terms of eighteen months in prison. He also faces a fine of up to $5,000.
Tate was also sentenced in August to two years in prison by a Medina County judge after pleading guilty to charges of failure to comply with the order or signal of a police officer and receiving stolen property.
Prosecutors charged Tate, along with Zachary Love and Emin Johnson, after they allegedly led police on a chase and hit and killed Francis while he was attempting to deploy stop sticks during the pursuit along I-75.
Love and Johnson have not taken plea deals.
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