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11 Investigates: Retired Maumee officer claims he had no knowledge of Oath Keepers' anti-government stance before joining

Gregory Westrick, who retired at the end of November, admitted his membership in the group and refused to give up his electronic devices for further investigation.

MAUMEE, Ohio — A now-retired Maumee police sergeant told investigators that he was embarrassed by his membership in the anti-government Oath Keepers group and that he received death threats when the news was leaked in early September.

Gregory Westrick was placed on administrative leave by the city on Sept. 9, shortly after WTOL 11 reported that his name was included on membership rolls published by a whistleblower site, Distributed Denial of Secrets, in September 2021.

On Tuesday afternoon, 11 Investigates obtained a copy of the report related to the city’s investigation of Westrick’s involvement in the group.

Westrick, who was with Maumee for more than 20 years and was promoted to sergeant in August of 2021, was interviewed by Maumee Assistant Chief Michael Love on Sept. 19 and Sept. 27. He was accused of violating three department policies: conduct unbecoming an officer; employee speech, expression, and social networking; and standards of conduct. Westrick, 50, retired in late November.

A full copy of the report can be found below:

Westrick told investigators that he received an Oath Keepers pamphlet in 2013 or 2014 that was mailed to the police station. He said he then paid dues in 2014 or 2015, but did not pay in any other years and had no other contact with the group. In his application, he listed his address as 109 E. Dudley St., which is the address for the Maumee Police Department.

Also in his application, he touted his gunsmith and web design skills because he was bragging about himself, he said. In the published data, however, the military veteran also listed his certification in armored weapon systems training as an attribute. When pressed on that, Westrick said he did not remember saying that.

In his interviews, Westrick said he was drawn to the group because of their pro-police and pro-Second Amendment focus. He said he did not realize they were anti-government. However, Love pointed out that there was information on the group’s ideology dating back as far as 2009 when Stewart Rhodes founded the group. In late November, Rhodes was convicted of seditious conspiracy and other charges related to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

As part of the Oath Keepers pledge, members vow to refuse 10 key orders. The orders are largely conspiratorial, including disarming citizens, imposing martial law, denying food to citizens, or allowing foreign troops on U.S. soil.

However, Westrick said he did not approve of the Jan. 6 attack, did not attend any Oath Keeper rallies and was not even aware of the elements in the Oath Keepers pledge.

Westrick repeatedly expressed his embarrassment over his membership and said it in no way affected his duties as a Maumee officer.

He also repeatedly said that he had no involvement with the group, other than his initial application payment of $35 to $40 in dues. Westrick refused to turn over any computers or cell phones he had been using since 2014 to be forensically analyzed for information about the Oath Keepers.

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