By Wayne Gates –

Brown County Munici-pal Court Chief Probation Officer Dale Anderson pleaded not guilty to sexual battery charges on February 17.
Anderson entered a “not guilty” plea before visiting judge Brent Spencer from Adams County in Brown County Common Pleas Court.
Anderson was indicted on February 9 and remains free on a $10,000 bond.  His trial has been scheduled for September 18.
Brown County Drug and Major Crimes Task Force Commander John Burke said in the February 12 edition of The Brown County Press that Anderson’s indictment is the first in an ongoing public corruption investigation.
Burke said that at least one more indictment is expected in the case.
The public corruption investigation has been underway in Brown County for over a year, and Burke said that there may be as many as 25 victims of the corruption activity.
“Because of this indictment of Dale Anderson, we can announce that we have an Ohio Organized Crime Investigation Task Force ongoing.  We couldn’t release that until the first indictment,” Burke said February 12.
Anderson is accused in the indictment of “engaging is sexual conduct with (a victim) when he had supervisory or disciplinary authority over the victim who was in the custody of law.”
Anderson was suspended without pay by Brown County Municipal Judge Joe Worley on December 21, 2016.  He had been working as a probation officer for the court since January of 2007.
Burke said that investigators would like to hear from anyone who feels that they have been mistreated by anyone working in the Brown County Judicial system.
Anyone wishing to contact investigators is asked to call the Brown County Prosecutor’s Office at (937) 378-4151.