A member of Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther’s security detail, who is also a Columbus police officer, is under investigation for allegedly golfing with the mayor while he was on duty.
The investigation into the mayor's security detail golfing with the mayor stemmed from an anonymous letter last December.
“It's just been assumed when he plays, I play golf,” Martin Jaeger told investigators in an audio-recorded interview.
From January 1, 2016 through December 31, 2020, Columbus Police Internal Affairs found Jaeger golfed with the mayor 166 times.
According to the report, Jaeger golfed with the mayor while on duty 40 times, and on overtime for at least a part of the round, 48 times.
“He felt comfortable with me out there playing, he felt at ease. He never ever said why are you playing,” Jaeger explained to investigators during the interview.
We reached out to the mayor and received this statement:
"Detective Jaeger does not report to Mayor Ginther. The Mayor does not set his schedule nor approve timesheets. All of that is handled by Detective Jaeger's chain of command."
The security unit has since reviewed the case and recommended members of the mayor's security detail not join in on activities going forward but, rather, guard from a distance. Those proposed changes must still be approved.
Investigators reached out to Ginther's office five times to interview the mayor as a witness to the allegation. The report states Ginther did not give an interview or statement.
The investigation was completed April 15. The findings or outcomes are not finished yet. Jaeger has not been charged at this time.