Former Hillsdale County deputy sentenced for misconduct in office

A former Hillsdale County sheriff’s deputy was sentenced today for misconduct in office, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced.?

Todd Barkley, 46, of Brownstown Township, was sentenced to three years’ probation, 90 days jail to be suspended, and required to register as a Tier I Offender on the Michigan Sex Offender Registry, a non-public registry, for 15 years. These requirements are in addition to the prohibition of him serving as a law enforcement officer in the future.?

Barkley’s misconduct charges stem from his actions after arresting a woman on multiple occasions. He then exploited his position with the Hillsdale County Sheriff’s Office to coerce her into a sexual relationship. While off duty, Barkley drove to Fulton, Kentucky, where the woman was being treated for substance abuse and used his badge to take the woman out of the facility for the day for the purposes of engaging in sex. Barkley also engaged in sex with the woman in Michigan. He has since been fired from the Hillsdale County Sheriff’s Office.

“The sentencing of Mr. Barkley makes clear that we will not tolerate misconduct by the men and women who wear the badge and choose to violate their sworn oaths and the law,” Nessel said.