ADA — A former Allen East band teacher has again found himself in hot water as the Ada Police Department is investigating him and his possible activities involving children.
Dennis L. Dellifield, 68, of 415 Willeke Ave., is being investigated for possible charges of pandering sexually oriented matter involving a minor.
In Hardin County court documents, Ada Police Chief Michael Harnishfeger said he began an investigation after a 16-year-old boy and his parents arrived at the Ada Police Department to report Dellifield. The boy reported receiving a phone text message requesting him to send Dellifield a photograph of his genitalia in an aroused state.
Harnishfeger also reported receiving 44 letters from the boy that had been written by Dellifield and given to the minor that denoted affection toward the boy. Harnishfeger reported that the letters, along with text messages and the cellphone of the boy, are now in the Police Department’s possession.
The report indicated that the boy was a former student and that they had known each other for more than five years.
Court records indicated three search warrants have been executed by officers from the Ada Police Department on Feb. 15, Feb. 22 and March 8. Items confiscated included a laptop computer, a DVD disc, 10 other discs, a Facebook photo, a flash drive, a Verizon flip phone, cellphone usage information from Dellifield’s service provider, and information that was extracted from laptops and phones in Dellifield’s possession including search/web history, phone activity timelines, and text messages.
In the documents, Harnishfeger said Dellifield said he had requested the photo of the boy to fit him for a condom because he was concerned with him having unprotected sex with a girl and getting her pregnant. Dellifield said he planned to delete the photo after “fitting” or “sizing” the boy.
Harnishfeger said in his report that Dellifield said he had been texting and sending letters with the boy and three other ex-students for some time, specifically for about a year and a half with the boy in question. Dellifield said he took the boy to supper about once a month, where the boy would speak about his “sexual exploits.”
Dellifield also reported receiving another photo from another ex-student, who is 18, in early February.
The dates the letters were written were reported to have been between July 25 and Feb. 13. This places it after Dellifield left Allen East.
Dellifield also told investigators that the websites he had visited were for research for a book he was in the process of writing on teenage leadership. He said he was investigating the correlations of teenage sex, specifically masturbation and oral sex. Dellifield said the material was both heterosexual and homosexual images and videos of young and mid-teen children in sexual acts.
Dellifield resigned as band director at Allen East effective March 31, 2016, after a female student reported she had been inappropriately touched by Dellifield. On March 7, 2016, about 150 students staged a “sit-in” at the school in what they believed was a forced retirement. Superintendent Mel Rentschler confirmed Dellifield had retired, but said he was not forced out.
A week later, about 200 residents showed up at the school board meeting, asking the board to not accept the resignation and defending Dellifield. The board did the opposite, however, voting unanimously to accept Dellifield’s resignation, effective March 31.
The school issued the following statement concerning the incident:
“The Allen East administration is aware of a current investigation regarding Dennis Dellifield. However, he is no longer an employee of Allen East, and any questions would have to be directed to the Ada Police Department, who is handling the investigation.
“Allen East investigated an incident involving Mr. Dellifield in February of 2016. During the course of that investigation, Mr. Dellifield chose to resign before the investigation’s completion. The Allen County Sheriff’s Department, Allen County Children Services, and the Ohio Department of Education were notified and conducted their own separate investigations. Due to the ongoing investigations, and in the best interest of the student involved, we are not releasing any details related to the incident.
“The number one priority of Allen East is to take care of our children who are directly and indirectly affected by this situation. Allen East will use the services of a Crisis Management Team to help the children and staff deal with this very difficult situation.”
The Hardin County Sheriff’s Office, which handles dispatch for the Ada Police Department, said Sunday an arrest had not been made to their knowledge and that the department would not be able to be contacted before Monday morning. The online records did not indicate any filing of charges.
Social media was clamored with posts concerning Dellifield, with posts ranging from disbelief, defense of him and disappointment.
On Facebook, Sarah Downing Nickles posted: “How many of you are from AE? I have 3 children that adored Mr. D. I had a child who sat in a protest for him. I supported and defended this man. I’m angry, embarrassed, disappointed and utterly disgusted. Sure Mr. D has a huge history with AE…Michael Jackson was an amazing artist and it doesn’t change the fact that he was a pedophile.”
Harnishfeger’s report indicated that Dellifield is serving part time as a band instructor at Arlington High School.
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