LIBERTY — Former Liberty Township firefighter Joshua Cleland, 41, was arrested Thursday on five charges and booked into the Trumbull County jail, according to jail and court records.

Cleland, of Warner Road, Vienna, was charged in Girard Municipal Court with three felonies — possession of drugs, tampering with evidence and having weapons under disability; and two misdemeanors — possession of drugs and violation of laws governing who can sell, purchase, distribute and process certain drugs, according to court records.

Cleland’s significant other, Hayley Omar, meanwhile, was arrested on charges of complicity and permitting drug abuse, said Sgt. Larry McLaughlin with the Mahoning Valley Law Enforcement Task Force. Although the charge for having weapons under disability often refers to bans against gun ownership because of a prior felony conviction, it also can mean using weapons while under the influence of a substance, McLaughlin said.

An arraignment date has not been entered into the court records.

Attorney Christopher Maruca represents Cleland and Omar in the case. When contacted Thursday, Maruca declined to comment on the case.

Cleland and other firefighters were forced out of the department earlier this year following an investigation that arose after the death of a Liberty firefighter / paramedic.

“This is what the investigation has revealed thus far,” McLaughlin said.

The investigation led to a charge of misdemeanor assault against former firefighter Justin Graham, 40, of Sampson Road, Liberty. Graham pleaded not guilty in Girard Municipal Court. A trial is scheduled for Nov. 19 before Judge Jeffrey Adler. Graham is accused of urinating in a communal tea kettle at the fire station.

An investigation at the fire department began after firefighter / paramedic John Beard died from an accidental drug overdose. Police read messages sent between him and the other firefighters.

Jennifer Beard, the sister of the deceased firefighter, told this newspaper in July that her brother and his friends often communicated in jokes. She said she believes police misinterpreted the messages by interpreting them literally and questioned the way police obtained her brother’s communication device.

Cleland and Omar filed a lawsuit against the drug task force that investigated the case, asking a judge to force the task force to return property seized by police in a search of their home earlier this year.

The task force has not yet responded to the lawsuit, but a response is expected by Oct. 10.

rfox@tribtoday.com