Ohio police chief accused of attacking homeless man in Key West for ‘no apparent reason’

KEY WEST, Fla. – Key West officers arrested an Ohio police chief early Friday morning after they accused him of attacking a homeless man near Duval Street.

Chad McArdle, 40, who leads the police force in Boston Heights, was booked into the Monroe County Jail just before 3 a.m. on a misdemeanor battery charge, according to jail records.

Boston Heights is a village of about 1,400 people, located about 20 miles southeast of Cleveland.

According to the Key West Police Department, authorities responded to Southard and Duval streets just after 1 a.m. after McArdle called them to report that he “was stabbed multiple times and potentially killed one of his attackers.”

Police said McArdle couldn’t give a clear story about the supposed attack or attackers and had no injuries that were consistent with being stabbed.

However, police said they located a local homeless man who said McArdle “attacked and battered (him) in an alleyway for no apparent reason.”

They then took the Buckeye State lawman into custody.

Local 10 News contacted the village of Boston Heights seeking comment on McArdle’s arrest and employment status, but had not received a response as of early Friday afternoon.

He’s set to be arraigned in Monroe County court on Aug. 17, according to jail records.