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HAMILTON, Ohio (WXIX) – A former veteran West Chester Township police officer is set to make his first court appearance on felony charges.

She is scheduled to appear in Butler County Common Pleas Court at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, court records show.

Michelle Berling, 46, of Wayne, is accused of tampering with evidence in a death investigation and misusing a police database, according to Butler County Prosecutor Michael Gmoser.

A Butler County grand jury indicted her last month on two counts of tampering with evidence and one count of tampering with records and unauthorized use of property.

Her indictment alleges the murders took place on August 8 and August 8-13.

Berling’s tampering charges stem from allegations that he tampered with Flock camera data and footage in an investigation into the death of a woman on Schumacher Park Drive in June, according to Gmoser.

Berling is also accused of misusing the department’s OHLEG (Ohio Law Enforcement Gateway) to gather information for personal use, he said.

She was suspended from all duties when the investigation began and placed on paid administrative leave before resigning on Oct. 28, according to a city spokesman.

When West Chester police reported her resignation to the state, they disclosed in the public database from the Ohio attorney general’s office that he left while “under investigation.“

“During the second week of August 2024, the officers and staff of the West Chester Police Department acknowledged possible legal and policy violations by Officer Michelle Berling,” the township said in a statement.

“Following a brief internal review and data analysis, the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) was contacted for assistance. All information has been forwarded to the BCI to conduct an independent criminal investigation into the matter.”

The statement also says:

“West Chester Township expects the highest degree of integrity and professionalism from its employees. As enshrined in the vision, mission and guiding principles of our Police Department, every employee is responsible to serve the community with integrity, commitment, professionalism and courage.”

Berling became a police officer in Ohio in 2000 and began his police career that year with the Butler County Sheriff’s Office, state records show.

He joined the West Chester Police Department in July 2002.

Berling was assigned to the Criminal Investigations Division as an intelligence analyst and also had an auxiliary assignment as a crisis negotiator, state records show.

She also worked at the police department as a public affairs officer, according to her LinkedIn page.

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