Former Sardinia officer says exposing police misconduct cost him his job, forced family to move

A former Brown County police officer who reported alleged misconduct within his own department says an independent investigation has validated many of his concerns. But after losing his job, relocating his family and spending months waiting for answers, he says the findings don't go far enough.

Dakotah Brown, a former officer with the Sardinia and Russellville police departments, spoke with WCPO 9 after an independent investigation substantiated several allegations against Police Chief Brian Perry, including that he pressured officers to write traffic tickets with an emphasis on generating revenue.

"I felt vindicated by a lot of the stuff that they said was substantiated because I knew, which I knew would happen because I never told a lie to begin with," Brown said.

But that sense of vindication comes with frustration.

Brown and fellow officer Zachary Smith are suing Perry and officials from both villages in federal court, alleging they were retaliated against after reporting suspected misconduct to Sardinia village councilmembers.

While the investigation confirmed some of the practices they reported, it left their allegations of retaliation unresolved.

Brown believes investigators could have reached more definitive conclusions had they spoken with him and Smith again.

"Something being unresolved doesn't mean it's false. It just means they need more information," Brown said.

According to their federal lawsuit, Brown and Smith raised concerns about Perry's enforcement practices with Sardinia councilmembers in February.

The following month, Brown submitted a written complaint detailing allegations of ticket quotas, racial profiling, witness coaching, selective enforcement and misuse of department resources.

The officers alleged Perry subsequently restricted their access to department systems and retaliated against them for speaking out.

Both say they lost their jobs with the Russellville Police Department, where Perry also served as chief.

Brown said he initially believed reporting suspected misconduct would protect both the public and the officers working under him.

"When we came forward with everything that we have, we was coming forward in good faith, saying, 'Hey, we're not the kind of cops that support this, and we want to be transparent that we don't agree with the way that these practices are being applied to this community,'" Brown said.

He expected the system to protect officers who reported wrongdoing.

Instead, Brown said he was terminated from Russellville and began fearing he would eventually lose his Sardinia position, too.

"We thought at the time, me and the other officers, by doing the right thing, we'd have the truth on our side and ultimately be protected by, you know, a system that should protect you when you are doing the right thing," Brown said.

The uncertainty eventually prompted Brown to relocate his family to the other side of Ohio, where he purchased a home. Brown said returning to Sardinia would now be impractical, even if the village reinstated him.

He would have to sell his home and relocate his family again. He also worries about returning to a department whose reputation has been damaged by the investigation.

Brown said the decision to place Sardinia's entire police force on administrative leave created the impression that every officer was suspected of wrongdoing including those who had reported the alleged misconduct.

"Even the officers that stepped up and was trying to do the right thing, we all just got grouped in as corrupt cops, even though that's not at all what was happening," he said.

The independent investigation, conducted by the law firm Jackson Lewis, examined allegations involving Perry's leadership and enforcement practices.

Investigators found Perry pressured officers to issue traffic citations, emphasized revenue generation and directed officers to write tickets rather than issue warnings.

Investigators did not establish that Perry imposed a fixed quota requiring officers to write five or six tickets per shift, as alleged. The report also substantiated an improper criminal history search involving a Sardinia village councilmember.

However, several other allegations remained unresolved, including some involving potential abuses of police authority.

Among them was an allegation that Perry instructed an officer to provide false or misleading testimony in court. Investigators could not determine whether that occurred.

The report also examined a letter Perry sent to the military command of Ohio Air National Guard member Nicholas Braun in August 2024, claiming Braun was under investigation for suspected organized criminal activity.

Braun has filed a separate federal lawsuit alleging Perry retaliated against him for supporting an effort to dissolve the village, which could have eliminated Perry's position as police chief.

Investigators confirmed the letter existed but could not determine whether a legitimate criminal investigation supported its contents.

Other unresolved issues included allegations that Perry gave preferential treatment to his girlfriend, questions surrounding the department's use of a shooting range on property associated with a former village administrator and a discrepancy involving a December 2025 bond transaction.

Investigators also could not determine whether Perry retaliated against Brown and Smith after they reported misconduct. The report did not substantiate a specific allegation involving the improper opening of officers' mail, but the broader retaliation concerns remained unresolved.

Brown disputes the thoroughness of that portion of the investigation.

He said he and Smith repeatedly made themselves available to answer questions but were never contacted for follow-up interviews.

"I reached out to them multiple times and let them know that I was available, and so did Officer Smith," Brown said. "And basically, they said they had everything they needed, and they'd be in touch, and they never got in touch."

Brown said investigators could have spoken with additional witnesses about how the officers were treated after reporting their concerns, including allegations that they were locked out of department systems and isolated from other personnel.

"Those conversations should have been had," Brown said. "The fact that they didn't have those conversations and they just said that it's uncorroborated. Of course it is. You didn't talk to us."

The report acknowledged limitations involving witness interviews, available evidence and pending litigation. Its unresolved findings do not establish that the alleged retaliation occurred.

Matthew Okiishi, an attorney with Finney Law Firm who is representing Brown and Smith, believes the investigation could strengthen their pending federal lawsuit.

The officers allege their First Amendment rights were violated when village officials punished them for reporting suspected misconduct.

Okiishi said the investigation supports his clients' position that they raised legitimate concerns about how their police departments operated.

"What this investigation does demonstrate is that neither Officer Smith nor Brown made a baloney report," Okiishi said. "Their report was very much in good faith. It very much involved matters of public concern, specifically how a police department was policing within their communities."

The lawsuit seeks damages for lost wages, emotional distress and other alleged harm.

Although the investigation did not substantiate the retaliation allegations, Okiishi said he expects the federal case to provide opportunities to obtain testimony and records that investigators did not secure.

A scheduling conference is expected later this month to establish deadlines for exchanging evidence.

Okiishi said he intends to seek information directly from Perry, who was not interviewed as part of the independent investigation.

"I know he didn't really give any answers or any documents or any evidence for the purposes of this internal third-party investigation, but he won't be able to avoid giving answers and testimony in this lawsuit," Okiishi said.

The attorney said the case raises a broader question about what happens when officers report suspected wrongdoing within their own departments.

"We ask cops all the time, you know, you got to speak up when you see something wrong or rotten in your department," Okiishi said. "A lot of cops don't, but these cops did, and rather than being commended for it, they've been vilified."

The lawsuit remains pending, and the officers' allegations of unconstitutional retaliation have not been proven in court.

Sardinia's police department has remained on administrative leave since March, when Mayor Dusty Puckett announced the decision amid the misconduct investigation.

Puckett told WCPO 9 Wednesday that he was surprised by the findings and was still reviewing the report with the village's attorneys.

He said the investigation has been costly for the small community, but acknowledged residents had been waiting months for answers.

"I guess we have gotten what the community wanted an answer," Puckett said.

The mayor has not decided whether additional investigation is necessary or when the police department could return to duty. The Brown County Sheriff's Office and Ohio State Highway Patrol continue providing law enforcement coverage in Sardinia.

For Brown, the report represents a measure of validation, but the consequences of speaking out have already changed his life.

He said his goal was never to damage the department. It was to protect the community, the officers working under him and the public's trust in law enforcement.

"This was about doing the right thing by the department and the community," Brown said. "Trying to protect the officers that were under me, and trying to make transparency and move forward in a positive light, and hold people accountable for their actions."