Officials mum on council member's arrest

BELLEVUE — Neither Huron County law enforcement nor members of the Bellevue city council had much to say when asked about the recent arrest of a fellow council member, who was charged with both felony and misdemeanor offenses. Joseph N. Burkhart, 38, of the 200 block of Madden St., was arrested by the Huron County Sheriff's Office last Friday and booked into the Huron County Jail the same day. Close to a week after the arrest, police and other elected officials in the city have provided very little information on what allegedly occurred. What allegedly occurred? Burkhart, according to Huron County elections board records, began his term on Jan. 1, 2024. His term is set to expire at the end of this year, and he is up for re-election in the Nov. 4 general election. According to Bellevue Municipal Court records, Burkhart is charged with: • One count of tampering with evidence, a third-degree felony • One count of strangulation, a third-degree felony • One count of burglary, a third-degree felony • One count of menacing by stalking, a fourth-degree felony • One count of possession of drugs, a fifth-degree felony • One count of assault, a first-degree misdemeanor • One count of telecommunications harassment, a first-degree misdemeanor According to court documents from the Bellevue Municipal Court, Burkhart allegedly "put his hands around the throat of" the alleged victim. Burkhart was allegedly also in possession of a bag that contained methamphetamine, court documents state. No responses Police reports covering the incident, released in response to a public records request from the newspaper, provide very little information on what actions led to Burkhart's charges. Bellevue police Chief Marc Linder told the newspaper that Bellevue police originally investigated the incident, but the city police department asked the sheriff's office to take on the investigation after learning the suspect was an elected city official. Linder provided his agency's report to the newspaper, which describes the incident as a "burglary call." The report lists Burkhart as an "offender," and a dispatch log included in the report states that he allegedly "pushed (the) victim out of the house and stole items" before adding that the Huron County Sheriff's Office would be taking over the case. On Tuesday, the Huron County Sheriff's Office released a one-sentence police report — which did not mention Burkhart by name — in response to the newspaper's records request, claiming that it could not release anything else due to the ongoing nature of the investigation. Area police departments routinely release more in-depth incident reports, explaining what occurred to lead to a person being criminally charged, and it's not clear why the sheriff's office report was so brief. The entirety of the sheriff's office report released to the newspaper reads as follows: "On Sept. 19, 2025, Bellevue PD requested we take over a burglary investigation." On Tuesday, the newspaper sent questions to: • Burkhart • Huron County public defender David Longo, the attorney listed for Burkhart in Bellevue Municipal Court records • Council president Ronald Smith • Council members Duane Baker, Steve Hill, Nadean Muniz, Beverly Ommert, Kendall Shepherd and Caleb Wynbissinger. As of Wednesday evening, only Smith responded to say that he did not have any comment. No one else responded to any questions. These are the questions the newspaper sent to Burkhart and Longo: 1. Do you have any comment on the criminal charges against you? 2. Do you intend to resign from city council in light of these criminal charges? Please explain. 3. Do you intend to seek re-election in the future? Please explain. 4. Please feel free to add anything else you'd like to say. These are the questions the newspaper asked the other council members: 1. How does the city council intend to address the recent arrest of fellow council member Joseph Burkhart? Please explain. 2. When was the city council first made aware of Burkhart's arrest? 3. How long has Burkhart served on the city council? When was he first elected? 4. Are there specific provisions or council rules that specify what occurs when a sitting member is arrested? Please explain. 5. Due to Burkhart's arrest, will the council consider any temporary measures, such as limiting certain duties, until the legal process concludes? 6. Has the council discussed any contingency plans in case Burkhart is unable to continue serving? Please explain. 7. Please feel free to add any additional information. As of late Wednesday, Burkhart remains at the Huron County Jail on a $77,000 bond, according to jail records. He has an upcoming court hearing scheduled for 9 a.m. on Sept. 29.