Ex-deputy allegedly used fake Facebook profile to harasss
Derek Bogenschutz (Miami County and Jay County).
A now-former Indiana sheriff’s deputy was recently arrested after pretending to be a woman on Facebook in order to harass a schoolteacher he once dated, law enforcement in the Hoosier State says.
Derek Joseph Bogenschutz, 36, stands accused of one count of felony identity deception, according to the Indiana State Police.
The defendant previously worked as a deputy with the Jay County Sheriff’s Office — and also as a part-time resource officer at the elementary school where the woman taught.
It is unclear when, exactly, Bogenschutz stopped working for the sheriff’s office.
The investigation began in February, after the Union City Police Department received a complaint from the teacher, according to the Star Press, citing a press release issued by state troopers.
At the time, she thought a woman named “Katie Morgan” was harassing her and her boyfriend — a Union City police officer.
But the “Katie Morgan” in question did not really exist.
Bogenschutz was allegedly the person posting under that fake profile, state troopers say. Using the feminine nom de plume, the onetime deputy allegedly messaged the teacher and claimed her boyfriend was “playing” both of them, according to court records cited by Fort Wayne-based ABC, NBC, and MyNetworkTV affiliate WPTA.
The deception is alleged to have gone a bit further.
Bogenschutz also sent the teacher screenshots of conversations purporting to show “Katie Morgan” and the teacher’s boyfriend arguing about other women, authorities allege.
It is unclear whether or not those fake lover’s quarrels were actual conversations, but, investigators say, Bogenschutz eventually did contact the teacher’s boyfriend as well.
The boyfriend himself also reported the harassment — and told a colleague who also happened to be a Jay County sheriff’s deputy, according to Fort Wayne-based Fox affiliate WFFT.
The other Jay County deputy’s memory was jogged, state troopers said. He recalled that Bogenschutz had once created a fake Facebook profile — for job-related purposes — while he was a sergeant working with the Indiana Crimes Against Children Task Force.
That case work profile’s name, presumably meant to help catch child predators, was “Katie Morgan,” authorities said.
Bogenschutz’s old task force colleague still had access to the work-related fake Facebook account, state troopers said. After his suspicions were sufficiently roused, he checked the message history and allegedly found several messages sent to the teacher and her boyfriend.
Bogenshutz was reprimanded by Jay County in 2019 with five days of unpaid leave and a 30-day suspension of take-home car privileges after a citizen filmed him speeding and a tense interaction ensued, according to Indianapolis-based ABC affiliate WRTV.
The defendant was arrested for the current charge on Wednesday morning in Miami County. He was expected to be extradited back to Jay County soon thereafter, authorities said. According to state jail records, Bogenschutz was granted “general release” just before Thursday afternoon.
Law&Crime reached out to the Indiana State Police and Jay County Sheriff’s Office for additional details on this story but no responses were immediately forthcoming at the time of publication.
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