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Cleveland officer accused of contacting 2,300 women on police computers

Posted at 8:13 PM, Mar 19, 2019
and last updated 2019-03-19 20:13:00-04

CLEVELAND– A Cleveland police officer is facing charges on accusations he contacted about 2,300 womenusing the department’s computers.

Sgt. Michael Rybarczyk, 58, was indicted on three counts of unauthorized use of property Monday, according to court records.

“Defendant, who was on-duty at points in time, used a social media platform to send non-work related, written messages to approximately 2,300 females,” the indictment said.

Related: Two Memphis officers arrested hours apart are latest in string of officer arrests

He’s also accused of using the Cleveland Division of Police’s law enforcement automated database system, or LEADS, to obtain information and photos of two of the women.

Rybarczyk, a 29-year veteran of the department, was placed on restricted duty in February after he was charged with 11 counts of solicitation of prostitution. He pleaded not guilty.

Court records described incidents between July 28 and Dec. 2 involving women ages 18 to 28. He offered to pay $40 to $100 for sexual favors, according to court documents.