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Summit County IT employee and former WAKR News Director Rob Dumke has been suspended with pay pending rape charges. Sources tell WAKR Dumke would turn himself in to custody tomorrow. County officials say should Dumke be indicted, he would remain on suspension but without pay.

 

Sheriff's deputies reportedly investigated a domestic incident at his home in Uniontown. The incident report was not released by the Summit County Sheriff because it was still considered an active investigation. The Sheriff's Department had no comment on the incident or the investigation. 1590 WAKR was told Dumke would report to police tomorrow and would be charged with a class one felony and would likely face other counts depending on presentation of the case to a Grand Jury.

 

Dumke was a familiar face and voice for Akron broadcast followers with stints at both Channel 23 and WAKR Radio; until 1998, he was news director for the Rubber City Radio Group, which owns WAKR, and also anchored the morning news program. He joined the county and oversaw the public website and remained with Summit County, most recently in the Information Technology (IT) department handling computer and Internet issues.

 

County Executive Ilene Shapiro issued this statement this afternoon:

 

"Yesterday, upon receiving notification that Mr. Dumke would be charged criminally as a result of an incident reported to the Summit County Sheriff’s Office, he was immediately placed on paid administrative leave. It is the practice of the County for an employee charged with a serious off-duty criminal offense to place the employee on paid administrative leave until such time as the employee is indicted on serious criminal charges.

 

At that time, the County’s practice is to place the employee on unpaid leave during the course of the criminal proceedings. I have spoken to the other members of the Information Technology Board, and, in the event Mr. Dumke is indicted, we will follow the County’s prior practice and place him on unpaid administrative leave until the resolution of the criminal proceedings.

 

We will not have any further comment during the pendency of the investigation and the criminal matter."

 

**Ilene Shapiro is the Chair of the Summit County Information Technology Board, which is the appointing authority for employees of the Summit County Office of Information Technology.**