Lakewood Police Officer Sued For Breaking Girl's Jaw

LAKEWOOD, OH — The city has issued a formal response to a lawsuit, and complaints, brought against one its police officers. Officer Kevin Jones is accused of breaking a 17-year-old girl's jaw during an altercation at the Lakewood Public Library. The girl's mother, Sabrina Johnson, is suing Jones, the city of Lakewood, the Lakewood Public Library, along with four other police officers.

The incident occurred on November 7, 2016. Jones was working an off-duty position at the library when he encountered the teenager and told her she was breaking one of the library's rules. He told her to leave the library. There are slight discrepancies between the city's account of what happened next and Johnson's.

Both sides agree that Jones tried to force the girl to leave, placing her in a full-nelson-type hold and trying to take her out of the building. Johnson's lawyer, Subodh Chandra, said in a news release that Johnson grabbed the girl, pushed her neck, shoved her into a book cart, and then slammed her to the floor, crashing on top of her.

The city says the two struggled and then fell, with Jones landing atop the girl. The fall led to a broken jaw.

"What happened to J.G. should outrage every parent―indeed, any decent human being―in Northeast Ohio," said Subodh Chandra, one of the girl's attorneys, in a statement. "As parents, we expect that our children will be safe at a public library and that library employees will protect them from violence, not attack them.

Following the incident, the city launched an investigation into Jones' actions on Nov. 7. He was placed on administrative leave and prohibited from working off-duty employment. In December, the Lakewood Police Department held a hearing and accused Jones of using unreasonable and unwarranted force, bringing discredit to the department, and not activating his body worn camera at an appropriate time. As a result, he was issued a 40-hour unpaid suspension and was referred to the employee assistance program.

The department also provided additional training to Jones on handling officer-citizen encounters. They also denied him permission to work off-duty at the Lakewood Library.

Complaints from citizens have been rolling into the department and city officials. Many of the emails have been calling for Jones' termination.

“We appreciate residents’ concerns and comments on this matter,” Police Chief Timothy Malley said in a statement. “We believe that the officer and the girl tripped causing the injury. We also believe that the incident was not handled properly by Officer Jones.”

The complaint against Jones also implicates poor practice on the part of other Lakewood Police. The girl allegedly went to the steps outside the library to sit down and was bleeding form her mouth. Backup police arrived after the incident, but failed to provide first aid to the girl or investigate the incident. Instead, the complaint says, they joked about clocking out early.

:There is no excuse for Officer Jones' actions. But it is also shameful that a group of Lakewood Police officers could arrive at the scene, see their colleague berate a bleeding child, and not protect the child or offer first-aid," Chandra said. "What happened to J.G. highlights a profound failure in Lakewood to train officers to treat children with dignity and respect; and it shows how far we have to go for true police reform in Northeast Ohio."

The city said it would respond more fully to the allegations brought in the lawsuit during the trial process.

“We expect all of our officers to treat all of our citizens with respect and courtesy and hold them accountable if they don’t. All of our officers work hard every day to be responsive and respectful of the many difficult situations we have to face every day, and do so with substantial success," Malley said. "When we don’t handle it properly we need to be sure to take measures to avoid future instances such as this.”

A copy of the complaint can be read here.

Photo from Rick Uldricks, Patch