The Incident

The Downing-mistress incident on the night of 12/27/2011 and the morning of 12/28/2011.

• usual text messages back-and-forth between Officer Daniel Edward Downing and his mistress
• tone of messages from the mistress changed to suicidal thoughts (never threatened officers)
• Downing forced to alert his supervisor, Sergeant Shane Mauger, about the messages from his mistress, and the possibility she was armed with a Springfield XD 40 caliber handgun
• Mauger ordered Downing, and officers Joseph E. Vincent and Vincent M. Scalmato to establish a makeshift perimeter; to be on a look out for the vehicle if it entered into the city
• Downing called his wife and told her to leave their house
• Downing called the father and sister of his mistress
• Mauger met with Downing at the Kmart at Brice and Main (Downing confirmed Mauger’s suspicions that this situation stemmed from an extramarital affair)
• Mauger ordered Scalmato and Vincent to 270 and Main via their MDT (Mobile Data Terminals) in their cruiser computers
• Reynoldsburg sent Delaware sheriffs to the home of Downing’s mistress and her sister’s home (Reynoldsburg did not alert the sheriff’s about the handgun)
• Mauger had Dispatcher Newman start a “leads bolo”
• Mauger contacted On-Star and – convincing them there was no time to get a warrant – tracked the movements of the mistress’ vehicle (Mauger did not alert On-Star about the handgun)
• On-Star told Mauger that they were obligated by law to alert Pickerington because the mistress was heading toward Pickerington on Interstate 70 East (Reynoldsburg felt no such obligation)
• Mauger sent Vincent to Best Buy on 256; Mauger headed toward Wal-Mart on 256 (Reynoldsburg did not warn Pickerington about the handgun)
• On-Star notified dispatchers at Reynoldsburg and Pickerington that the mistress exited Interstate 70 East onto 256 (Reynoldsburg still did not warn Pickerington about the handgun)
• Reynoldsburg police and dispatchers “rolled the dice” hoping the mistress would turn north toward Reynoldsburg, but she turned south into Pickerington (Pickerington’s police chief later commented that he believed Reynoldsburg would have covered this incident up if the mistress would have turned north)
• Mauger and Reynoldsburg dispatch received word that Pickerington had stopped the mistress at Tussing and 256 (Reynoldsburg still did not warn Pickerington about the handgun)
• One Pickerington patrolman pulled over the mistress for reckless operation and took her license back to his cruiser – not knowing there was a handgun on the floor of her SUV
• Mauger – with lights and sirens on – made his way to the Speedway at Tussing and 256 (Mauger commented on how surprised the Pickerington patrolman was when he showed up “running hot”)
• any chance of a Reynoldsburg cover-up was now impossible
• Mauger finally alerted the Pickerington patrolman about the handgun, and both drew their weapons
• the mistress calmly confirmed she had a handgun
• Vincent pulled up and the mistress verbally acknowledged who Officer Vincent was by saying, “Joe, Joe this gun is not meant for you guys……”
• Mauger handcuffed the mistress and put her in Vincent’s cruiser (she apologized to Vincent)
• Pickerington said that they were going to charge her with the CCW and “firearms while being intoxicated” and they made the arrest
• Vincent exchanged cuffs out and put Pickerington’s cuffs back on her
• the technical functions of the audio and video units of both Police Departments conveniently quit functioning properly and the proceedings were not captured for future reference