11/15/2012 - West Side Leader
     

Akron detective indicted on sex charges

DOWNTOWN AKRON — Akron Police Department (APD) officials announced Nov. 9 that a longtime detective has been indicted on 13 counts by a Summit County Grand Jury, including several sex charges.

The charges against Bob Pankonien, 52, a 19-year veteran of the force, include two counts of gross sexual imposition for having sexual contact with a child younger than 13 years old.

He also was charged with pandering sexually oriented material involving a minor, corrupting another with drugs, sexual battery and sexual imposition.

The charges relate to incidents ranging from 1992 to the present, according to the Grand Jury Secret Indictment released by the APD.

Pankonien also was charged with six counts of unauthorized use of the Ohio Law Enforcement Gateway, an electronic information network that allows Ohio law enforcement agencies to share criminal justice information.

According to APD officials, Pankonien was most recently assigned to the Investigative Sub-Division Burglary Unit.

Officials said Pankonien had been booked into the Summit County Jail and released on $50,000 bond. He was placed on administrative leave without pay pending the outcome of the case, officials added.

“I will closely monitor the legal process in this matter and do whatever it takes to preserve the trust of the public we are sworn to serve,” APD Chief James Nice said in a statement.

Kathleen Folkerth contributed to this report.

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