The Collapse of Oversight within Ottawa County’s Probation System

The Ottawa County Common Pleas Court Adult Probation Department has undergone a complete breakdown in its internal oversight structure. The official termination memos and disciplinary forms dated October 7, 2025, reveal a deeply rooted culture of negligence, dereliction of duty, and failed leadership that directly compromised community safety and the integrity of the judicial system itself.

Two major terminations occurred on the same day—Chief Probation Officer Andrea Cochran and Probation Officer Brian Sloan. Both dismissals stemmed from systemic failures to monitor probationers, enforce drug testing, and maintain basic contact with individuals under court supervision. The chain of events exposes the severe consequences of administrative apathy within a system designed to protect the public.

The Case of Brian Sloan: A Pattern of Neglect and Inaction

Probation Officer Brian Sloan was terminated effective October 7, 2025, after a damning internal review uncovered major lapses in the supervision of probationers. The most alarming discovery involved the death of probationer Harold Pence, who reportedly died on January 15, 2025. Despite this, Sloan’s records show that Pence’s death went unnoticed for nearly nine months until a bench warrant was issued on September 26, 2025.

Sloan’s file revealed that Pence’s last contact with the department was a phone check-in on July 19, 2024, with the last offsite drug test occurring on December 3, 2024. There was no follow-up, no verification of his welfare, and no record of supervision continuity.

The probation conditions clearly warned that any missed drug test would trigger a violation and likely result in prison time. Yet Pence missed eight drug tests without a single documented attempt by Sloan to enforce court orders or contact the probationer. This neglect wasn’t an isolated oversight—it was part of a pattern spanning multiple cases. Sloan repeatedly ignored missed screenings, failed to follow up, and allowed numerous probationers to disappear from active supervision without consequence.

The memo written by Court Administrator Katelyn Ritzler stated that Sloan’s failures “undermined the integrity of probation operations, community safety, and public confidence in the Court.” These findings led to Sloan’s immediate termination for gross misconduct, policy violations, and dereliction of duty.

The Termination of Chief Probation Officer Andrea Cochran

While Sloan’s negligence was serious, the case of Andrea Cochran, the department’s Chief Probation Officer, revealed an even deeper failure at the leadership level. As the administrative head of the Adult Probation Department, Cochran was directly responsible for supervising all staff, enforcing departmental policy, and ensuring compliance with judicial standards.

According to Judge Bruce Winters, Cochran failed to maintain oversight of her staff and her own caseload. The termination report cited widespread “non-compliance for multiple probationers assigned to different officers,” which included missed drug tests, no contact with probationers, and no follow-up on court-ordered requirements.

What makes Cochran’s case particularly striking is that she had previously been disciplined by Judge Winters in September 2024. The official memo dated September 25, 2024, suspended Cochran for five business days (September 30 to October 4, 2024) due to “dereliction of duty regarding Defendant Sabah Al-Talaquani and public safety concerns.” This suspension should have served as a critical warning and an opportunity for correction.

Instead, it became a prelude to complete departmental collapse.

Judge Winters emphasized that Cochran’s neglect “undermined the integrity of probation operations, community safety, and public confidence in the Court.” Her inability to detect or rectify her staff’s violations ultimately led to her dismissal. The termination form recorded her failure as “neglect of supervisory responsibilities,” warranting immediate termination.

The Broader Implications for Ottawa County

The Ottawa County Adult Probation Department’s failures carry far-reaching implications. Probation departments play a central role in enforcing court orders, ensuring accountability, and protecting the community from reoffending individuals. When such a department loses its internal discipline, the entire judicial system loses credibility.

The death of Harold Pence and the subsequent discovery that his status had gone unnoticed for months demonstrates an institutional failure to safeguard human life. Each missed test, unlogged contact, or unfiled report represents a potential threat to public safety and a breach of judicial trust.

Furthermore, the leadership’s failure to act decisively before the crisis escalated raises serious questions about internal accountability mechanisms. How many probationers went unsupervised during this period? How many violations went unreported? These are questions that the county’s oversight bodies must address if they hope to rebuild public trust.

Administrative Accountability and the Cost of Inaction

The events that unfolded within Ottawa County’s probation system serve as a cautionary tale about what happens when leadership fails to enforce standards and monitor performance. Court oversight depends on accurate reporting, consistent communication, and timely intervention. The complete absence of these elements within this department turned what should have been routine supervision into a bureaucratic void.

The simultaneous terminations of both Chief Probation Officer Andrea Cochran and Probation Officer Brian Sloan on the same day—October 7, 2025—represent a drastic but necessary measure to restore order and credibility. However, the damage to community trust cannot be reversed overnight.

If one probationer’s death could go unreported for nine months, one must question whether similar oversights occurred in other cases. The department’s failures indicate the absence of a functioning system of checks and balances, where negligence could thrive unchallenged until discovered by tragedy.

A Call for Reform and Transparency

The Ottawa County Common Pleas Court must undertake a full-scale internal audit of all probation operations dating back at least two years. The discovery of multiple missed tests, unrecorded contacts, and ignored probation violations points to a broken process that allowed negligence to persist unchecked.

Reform must begin with transparent reporting, consistent auditing, and an independent review board to evaluate staff performance. There must be a renewed emphasis on accountability—where leadership is held to the same standards as their subordinates.

Additionally, the county should reevaluate its drug testing procedures, communication systems, and case management software to ensure that no probationer can fall through the cracks again. Failure to implement these reforms would only guarantee a repeat of the same systemic negligence that led to these terminations.

Conclusion

The terminations of Andrea Cochran and Brian Sloan mark a pivotal moment in Ottawa County’s judicial history. These dismissals were not isolated disciplinary actions but rather the result of deep institutional decay. The Adult Probation Department’s failures endangered public safety, eroded judicial credibility, and betrayed the very principles of justice that the system is meant to uphold.

Accountability must not end with termination notices. It must extend into full departmental reform, transparency, and public oversight. Only through such measures can Ottawa County begin to restore faith in its justice system and ensure that the probation department serves its intended purpose—to monitor, protect, and rehabilitate, not to neglect, ignore, and endanger.

Author Contact Information

Charles Tingler
Email: charlesltingler1991@gmail.com
Phone: 419.765.4802 / 419.603.8689