Alliance Police Sgt. Ethan Griffith has resigned from the department amid a pending felony child endangerment case and after being convicted in connection with a separate off-duty OVI incident earlier this summer.
Griffith’s resignation was effective immediately Tuesday, Aug. 18, according to the Alliance Police Department.
Department officials told Jordan Miller News that Griffith submitted his resignation before further disciplinary action could be taken. Officials said laws governing the disciplinary process prevented the department from terminating Griffith while criminal and legal proceedings were ongoing.
In a resignation letter addressed to Police Chief Akenra X, Griffith described leaving the department “with a heavy heart.”
“These last 4 years have been filled with many events and memories that I will never forget,” Griffith wrote. “It has been nothing short of an honor and an absolute privilege to serve beside some of the most amazing men I have ever had the pleasure of knowing.”
Griffith also wished the department well, writing that it is “full of young and eager officers, ready and able to make a difference in the City of Alliance for the better.”
He ended the letter, “For the last time, With Respect,” before signing it as “Sgt. Griffith 314.”
The letter provided to Jordan Miller News is dated Aug. 10.
Griffith had been on unpaid administrative leave following his July arrest on a second-degree felony charge of endangering children involving a 4-year-old boy.
The charge stems from a July 26 incident at White House Fruit Farm in Mahoning County.
According to the Goshen Police District, investigators allege Griffith grabbed the 4-year-old by one arm and dragged him into a parking lot after the child was “acting up.” Police said the child struck Griffith near his left eye before Griffith allegedly struck the child twice in the face.
Investigators said the child suffered swelling, bruising and welts that remained visible more than 24 hours later. Medical personnel determined the injuries were consistent with the child being struck, according to police.
Griffith was arrested July 28 after the Mahoning County Court No. 3 prosecutor authorized the felony child endangerment charge.
Following that arrest, Chief X announced Griffith’s status had been changed from paid to unpaid administrative leave.
“Above all else, our thoughts remain with the child at the center of these allegations,” X said at the time. “Regardless of the legal proceedings that lie ahead, there is an innocent child whose well-being must remain at the forefront of our minds.”
OVI case resulted in conviction, probation
Griffith’s resignation also comes after he was convicted in connection with a separate off-duty OVI incident that occurred June 7.
Austintown police alleged Griffith crashed his pickup truck into a utility pole and fled on foot. Investigators reported finding a loaded Glock 19 handgun and an unloaded Springfield Hellcat 9mm pistol inside the vehicle.
In that case, Griffith was ordered to pay $810 in fines and court costs and was sentenced to 180 days in jail, with 177 days suspended. He was also placed on 12 months of probation and received a consecutive 90-day jail sentence that was fully suspended.
His driver’s license was suspended for one year, with limited driving privileges for work, school and medical appointments. The remaining three days of his jail sentence can be waived if he completes a driver’s intervention program within 90 days.
A charge of improper handling of a firearm in a motor vehicle and a second count of operating a vehicle while impaired were dismissed.
Griffith had initially been placed on paid administrative leave following the June incident. His status was changed to unpaid administrative leave after his subsequent arrest in the child endangerment case.
Griffith had served with the Alliance Police Department since 2022 and is the son of former Alliance Police Chief Scott Griffith.
His resignation ends his employment with the Alliance Police Department, but the felony child endangerment case remains pending.
