Tiffin Police Detective Shawn D. Vallery Charged with OVI in Seneca County Case Handled by Ohio State Highway Patrol

https://tiffinfostoriamunicipalcourt.org/

TIFFIN | A veteran detective with the Tiffin Police Department is facing misdemeanor OVI charges following a traffic stop in March 2026. According to public court records and officer employment documents, Shawn D. Vallery was arrested on March 16, 2026, and charged with Operating a Vehicle Under the Influence (OVI) under Ohio Revised Code 4511.19(A)(1)(A). The charge is a first-degree misdemeanor that carries six points on a driver’s license.

Court filings list Vallery’s blood-alcohol concentration at .153 — well above the legal limit of .08. The Ohio State Highway Patrol, not the Tiffin Police Department, conducted the investigation. Trooper A. Albright of the OSP issued the citation. Dispatch logs from the night of the incident reportedly confirm that OSP was called to the scene, raising questions about a potential conflict of interest given Vallery’s senior role inside the department he serves.

Case Details and Court Proceedings

The primary case, docketed as TRC2600710A in Seneca County Municipal Court, was filed on March 20, 2026. Related citations (TRC2600710B and TRC2600710C) list additional traffic violations: OVI/breath (low) and failure to control. A fourth older case (TRD2302749) involving a different Vallery (Thomas D.) appears unrelated.

Judge Rhonda L. Best recused herself from the case pursuant to Canon 1 of the Ohio Code of Judicial Conduct. Retired Judge Robert G. Hart was assigned to preside. To avoid any appearance of impropriety, Seneca County Prosecutor’s Office appointed James F. Melle — Director of Law for the City of Fremont — as special assistant director of law to handle the prosecution.

Vallery is represented by Tiffin attorney Dean Henry of Behm & Henry, L.L.C. Henry has filed an appeal of the Administrative License Suspension (ALS) and a petition for limited driving privileges. A pretrial hearing is currently scheduled for April 24, 2026, at 1:00 p.m. in Seneca County Municipal Court.

Vallery’s Long Career with Tiffin PD

Public officer records confirm Vallery has served full-time with the Tiffin Police Department since October 1, 2000. Prior to that, he worked full-time at the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office (February 1997–September 2000) and the Bloomville Police Department (starting August 1996). He completed basic academy training at Wayne County Sheriff’s Academy in March 1997.

Vallery rose to the rank of detective and has been a visible, decorated member of the department. In 2024, he was named Officer of the Year. In October 2025, the department and local media celebrated his 25 years of service. He has testified in numerous criminal cases as a lead investigator and has represented the department at events such as National Police Week.

Court records list Vallery’s address as 51 E. Market Street in Tiffin — the location of Tiffin City Hall and the Police Department.

Public Records and Transparency

All details above come directly from publicly available documents:

• Tiffin Police Department / Ohio peace officer employment records.
• Seneca County Municipal Court docket entries for cases TRC2600710A, B, and C.

No statements have been released yet by the Tiffin Police Department, Chief David Pauly, or Vallery himself regarding the charges. As with any criminal case, Vallery is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

This matter is ongoing. The Advertiser-Tribune and other local outlets have not yet published reports on the arrest as of April 2, 2026, suggesting the case remains in its early procedural stages.

Context for the Community Tiffin, a small city in Seneca County, has long taken pride in its police department. Vallery’s decades of service, recent Officer of the Year honor, and frequent public appearances made him a recognizable figure in local law enforcement. The fact that the Ohio State Highway Patrol — an outside agency — handled the stop and investigation underscores standard protocol when an internal officer is involved, designed to maintain impartiality.

Residents and local officials will be watching how the case proceeds, particularly given the department’s emphasis on integrity and community trust. A pretrial hearing next month will likely provide the next public update.

This article is based exclusively on verified public records, officer employment history, and court filings. No confidential information was used.