UPDATE: Middle School Resource Officer Under Investigation

    A Hamilton County School Resource Officer is on leave, and under investigation. Deputy Jeff Baker has been removed from patrolling the halls at East Ridge Middle School.

 A claim of inappropriate contact with an underage female student is at the base of this investigation.This allegation first came to the East Ridge Police department.  

  Initially, the complaint was deemed unsubstantiated, but it was turned over to the Hamilton County Sheriff's Department where Baker is employed.

East Ridge Middle's principal Steve Robinson told us there had been no indication of any problem.

    Robinson added Baker interacted well with students and he was unaware of the complaint coming from his school.

    But the Sheriff's department says this investigation does involve an underage female student, either from the middle or high school.

   This all came to light about two weeks ago. Public information specialist Janice Atkinson of the Hamilton County Sheriff's Department elaborated, "At that time, the Criminal Investigations Division along with Internal Affairs initiated investigation into the allegations of misconduct."

 Deputy Baker has worked at the Middle School as school resource officer for about two years. Right now he is on administrative leave with pay, pending the outcome of the investigation.

No charges have been filed and deputy Mitchell Smith has stepped in as the replacement S-R-O at the school.