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Ohio police officer fired for falsely arresting daughter, daughter's boyfriend

By Ray Downs

June 21 (UPI) -- An Ohio police officer has been fired for falsely arresting his 18-year-old daughter and her boyfriend of the same age, according to reports this week.

The firing was over an incident that occurred on April 16 when John Kovach Jr., a patrolman with the Lorain, Ohio police department since 1992, pulled over his daughter's boyfriend, Makai Coleman.

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On the dashcam video that recorded the entire exchange, Kovachs immediately tells Coleman: "You're going to jail."

When Coleman asks Kovachs why he's going to jail, Kovachs responds: "We'll make [expletive] up as we go along."

Kovachs was apparently looking for his daughter, Katlyn Kovach, who he didn't realize was in the backseat of Coleman's car. Before he sees her, he gets into an argument with Gloria Morales, whose two children were in Coleman's car and whose house was right in front of where the incident occurred.

Kovach tells Morales he wants to search her house for his daughter. Morales tells him she isn't there and if he wants to search her house, to get a warrant. He then threatens to give Morales' daughter a $300 ticket for not wearing a seat belt.

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"You're making this personal," Morales tells Kovach. When she says she will call 911, he threatens to take her to jail, too.

Eventually, Kovach realizes his daughter has been in the backseat the whole time and he forces her to get out and into the back of his police car as he tells Coleman to get out. Dashcam video shows Kaitlyn Kovach struggling and begging not to be taken away.

"You can't do this!" she says.

Kovach tells her she's going to the hospital for threatening to kill herself, which she denies in the video.

Lorain Police Department Safety-Service Director Dan Given, Police Chief Cel Rivera and other command officers said Kovach violated several policies and procedures during the April 16 incident.

"These actions are not acceptable for members of our Police Department and we felt it warranted immediate dismissal," Given said, according to the Chronicle-Telegram.

Kyle Gelenius, president of Fraternal Order of Police Lorain Lodge #3, said Kovach will contest his termination.

"Officer Kovach is contesting his termination through the grievance procedure and is being afforded all of his contractual rights," Gelenius wrote, according to the Morning-Journal.

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