Fired Columbus police officer sentenced for 'scandalous' arrest of black teen

Lina Portman3 weeks ago

45 5 minutes read

In response to body camera video showing a Columbus Division police officer's physical arrest of a 14-year-old black boy for a traffic violation, city officials condemned the conduct of the fired officer and assured citizens that the incident did not reflect on the department as a whole.

Donovan Bever was one of two police officers fired in one week this month for misconduct. On June 10, Columbus Public Safety Director Kate Pishotti fired Bever from her position. On Wednesday, she fired Officer Robert Spann for repeatedly having sex with a grocery store employee while she was part of the store's uniformed security detail.

The videos show the physical arrest of a teenager who complied with officers' orders after initially running away. They also capture harsh, abusive and threatening remarks from police officers.

“I was angry, disappointed, upset,” Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant said of her reaction to the images. “That is not what we reflect as the Columbus Police Division. The majority of our officers have excellent relationships with our community.”

News of the firings follows a former Columbus narcotics officer's guilty plea in a federal cocaine possession case, as well as the department's sixth fatal shooting this year by an officer. Bryant said misconduct like Bever's undermines the public trust the department has worked to build.

“Something like that can erode it in seconds,” Bryant said.

Without that trust, officers receive less information from the community and have a harder time solving crimes, she said.

Brian Steel, president of the Fraternal Order of Police Capitol City Lodge No. 9, said Thursday he learned of the layoffs last week. He said the union intends to review both cases to determine whether proper procedures were followed.

'I'm going to break your face'

On Feb. 19, a group of teenagers lingered in the street while crossing a crosswalk, which Bryant said could be considered a pedestrian committing a traffic violation. Bevers and another police officer saw the group crossing the street.

The interaction began when Bever and another officer approached the teens in their car and said, “Let's talk.” The teenagers fled.

Officers came across two of the teens on a sidewalk after a brief foot chase. They pulled out their guns and told the teens to get on the ground or they would shoot, and the teens complied.

Footage from Bever's body-worn camera shows the teen's face being forced into the sidewalk, bloodying the youth's nose. Bever searched him roughly and threw the contents of the teen's pockets in his face and, according to division records, he punched the teen in the groin during the search.

In the video, Bever can be heard telling the teen: “You move, I'll beat the shit out of you.”

He dragged the teen by his dreadlocks to a waiting transport vehicle.

The boy expressed pain, fear and shock at his arrest. He apologized throughout his arrest and told Bever he was hurting her.

“I'm fine, but don't do it again because this (expletive) hurts,” the teen said when Bever asked if he was OK. “And for what, bro? It wasn't that bad.”

At the transport vehicle, the teen asked for another officer, saying he didn't trust Bever.

Bryant said officers mishandled the situation from the start. They should have stopped the car, gotten out of the vehicle and had a civil conversation with the teens about pedestrian laws, she said. There was no need to draw weapons and the force Bevers used to stop the boy was not justifiable, she said.

Bever's gun and badge were confiscated hours after his arrest and he was placed on leave, department records show.

Sex at work

Spann was fired for having sex with a store employee on multiple occasions while performing uniformed off-duty work as a security guard at a Columbus grocery store in August and September 2023 . Spann was performing special duties, meaning he was wearing his Columbus uniform but wasn't. being paid by the city.

Bryant said she was aware of other cases in which officers behaved inappropriately on the job, but said she did not recall an officer doing so on multiple occasions. The department reviewed the situation to determine whether criminal charges were necessary, but the sex was consensual and the store did not want to press charges, Bryant said.

A grocery store manager reported the sexual activity to the Ohio Inspector General, who in turn notified the Columbus Division of Police.

Columbus police officers are never allowed to have sex while on duty, including when they are off duty, Bryant said. Additionally, Spann's actions took him away from his actual job of improving security within the store.

Language at work

Bever's personnel file shows a virtually clean record, even though supervisors and community members had previously expressed concerns about his language at work.

An internal investigation following the November 21, 2021 arrest of a fleeing suspect in a domestic dispute case found that Bever followed policy when he deployed his Taser. But Bever violated policy “by continually swearing at the arrestee while taking him into custody,” the supervisor wrote.

The supervisor added that he had already warned Bever about his language toward those arrested.

In Bever's April 2022 performance evaluation, Bever's supervisor wrote that he met expectations in all but one category. He received “constructive feedback” on his interactions with the public and was awaiting retraining to adopt de-escalation tactics and avoid verbal confrontation.

Three citizen complaints were filed against Bever. A citizen said Bever did not provide his name or badge number and made threats or harassed someone while responding to a call for service on December 13, 2021. Another citizen said Bever had used profanity or discourteous profanity on May 23, 2023. The department ruled all complaints unfounded.

Bryant said officers are not allowed to swear. Some leeway may be allowed for name-calling in the heat of the moment, but officers are generally expected to remain professional, she said.

Officials react

“I don't think it reflects the division as a whole, but when it's brought to our attention, we want to address it quickly,” Bryant said. “We want to make sure we send the message that we will not accept this for our community.”

Bryant said that means visiting police academy students and holding morning briefings to ensure a good culture within the Police Division and provide in-depth training opportunities, particularly in areas such as the use of force, to ensure officers are prepared to succeed.

Several city officials sent statements to The Dispatch condemning the officers' actions. Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther praised Bryant for his “swift action” in firing Bever.

City Attorney Zach Klein also supported firing the officers.

“The conduct of these officers is unacceptable, falls far short of the standards expected of any public servant and tarnishes the excellent work accomplished every day by members of the Police Division.”

Bryant recommended a 240-hour suspension or termination for both officers, but the final decision on officer terminations rests with Pishotti. Pishotti said in a statement that what she saw in the video was inconsistent with the values of the Columbus Division of Police.

“Our community deserves better, and this 14-year-old deserved better,” Pishotti said.

Columbus City Council President Shannon Hardin said she supported Bryant in his “swift investigation and decisive action.” He called the actions filmed an “outrageous use of force.”

“I am angry that this officer’s small lack of power calls into question the integrity and hard work of the entire division,” Hardin said.

Hardin added that he would send his regrets to the boys and their families.

Lina Portman

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