TOLEDO, Ohio — Anthony Wayne Local Schools announced Tuesday they have terminated a contract with a Whitehouse police officer after she allegedly sent inappropriate text messages to a student.
In a press release, district superintendent Jim Fritz said a high school student shared text messages exchanged with Officer Ashley Kunesh.
School officials contacted Whitehouse PD, who removed Kunesh from her position as school resource officer. She was officially terminated by WPD on Nov. 11, according to police documents.
Whitehouse police assigned Officer Brad Baker to complete the resource officer contract. Baker has served as a resource officer for the district in the past.
Kunesh had notified a guardian of the student that she was texting the student, according to text exchanges obtained by WTOL 11 between Kunesh and the guardian.
In the text messages, the guardian thanked Kunesh for reaching out. Kunesh told the guardian she was "connecting" with the student and providing resources to help the student reach their goals, such as encouraging a baseball coach to talk to the student "about working out and personal training stuff."
According to a document obtained by WTOL 11 summarizing WPD's investigation regarding Kunesh, she stated in an interview conducted by WPD that she had initially connected with the student through "family connections in their shared hometown" and that due to "her similar upbringing" and concerns with the student's mental health, she felt the need to offer the student support.
Also in the interview, Kunesh was asked why she gave the student gifts such as snacks and a water bottle. According to the interview summary, Kunesh said "gifting snacks is an acceptable action for an SRO to do for kids in need" and that "gifting is her love language and is a way she shows that she cares."
In the same document, WPD Chief of Police Mark McDonough said Kunesh would be removed as the school's SRO, receive "receive remedial training on Village and Departmental policies," serve a six-month probationary period for supervisors to review her job performance and serve a three-day, unpaid suspension in abeyance of the probationary period.
"Although I believe Officer Kunesh's intentions were to mentor a troubled youth, her behavior brought about genuine concerns by school officials and Police Department command staff that cannot be ignored," McDonough wrote in the document.
In the text exchanges with the student's guardian, Kunesh apologized if she "crossed a boundary" by texting the student and said it was "an error in judgment on my part."
"I dont [sic] believe you have any negative motives just a heart for troubled kids," the student's guardian responded.
Kunesh was hired as a school resource officer on a contract through the Whitehouse Police Department in August 2022. She was hired as a WPD police officer in August 2021.
EARLIER COVERAGE: Anthony Wayne Local Schools hires second school resource officer
This is a developing story. Stay with WTOL 11 on-air, online and on our free mobile app for the latest news updates.
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