Island police officers resign

PUT-IN-BAY — Put-in-Bay police Chief Steve Riddle was put on administrative leave Wednesday evening, and two officers involved in the racially charged arrests of nine people Saturday resigned, village Mayor Jess Dress said. The incident left the community reeling from accusations of police brutality and racial profiling as the nation and the world continue processing — and protesting — the death of George Floyd, a black man who was killed by a white Minneapolis police officer May 25. Put-in-Bay police have a history of being poorly trained and poorly led. Eight of the nine people arrested Saturday are black. "You want to get shot? Get down on the ground," police Lt. Michael Russo can be heard in the audio from a video captured by the body camera he was wearing. Russo and police Sgt. Melissa Wilde, one of the officers who arrived after Russo called for backup, both resigned, Dress said. Nine people were arrested and most were charged with assault, aggravated rioting, resisting arrest and inciting violence. Some in the group were electroshocked with a Taser and one man was kneed in the chest before being arrested. It all stemmed from a traffic stop. Six of the men arrested spent the weekend in jail, but on Monday, Ottawa County prosecutor James VanEerten asked that all charges be dismissed. On Wednesday, VanEerten released the videos recorded by the body cameras officers wore in response to a public records request from the Register. "There are several troubling things about the entire situation but I don't want to comment too much further at this point," VanEerten said. The videos can be viewed at the Register's YouTube channel. The video footage begins with Russo and another officer having pulled over a group of people, who are white, for having too many people on a golf cart. While appearing to begin to write the driver of the cart a ticket, the two police officers notice the group of Sandusky residents allegedly committing the same violation: having too many people on a cart. They quickly leave the first group with a warning and turn on their siren pursuing the second golf cart, which stops in a parking lot about 12 seconds after the siren is engaged. Once the second golf cart is stopped, Russo tells the other officer he saw a man give a woman in the group something that she hid in her pants. That prompted the officers to arrest the woman and then the driver of the cart. The driver asks why he's being arrested. The rest of the group then approaches the officers, most with their hands raised, asking them what they're doing and why people are being arrested. Both officers then draw their guns and order the group to get on the ground. More officers arrive — one with a gun drawn, one with a Taser — and the officer with a Taser uses it on one man. Others are then arrested by police. By the end of the incident, two others were shocked with a Taser, and one man was kneed in the chest. There doesn't appear to be any assaults committed in the videos the Register has viewed, and, in some instances, officers appear to be the aggressors. The officers also make statements that the woman hid drugs in her pants, but that cannot be confirmed viewing the video, and a report about the incident does not state that drugs were found on the woman. Police interactions The Put-in-Bay officers involved in the incident, according to VanEerten, are Russo, Cpl. Terry Rutledge, Sgt. Melissa Wilde, Capt. Matt Mariano, Patrolman Nick Santora, Officer Luis Valdez and Officer Dwayne Webb. An eighth officer was not identified. In audio from the video, one officer can be heard taunting some of the men arrested. "You're all getting prison," Lt. Russo says. After one man says "I've been there," Russo responds, "Good, you're going back." Russo later has an exchange with a man in a police cruiser, who tells him he was "just mad." "So, have a good time in Mansfield," Russo responds, apparently referencing the Mansfield Correctional Institution. "Drug trade's real good, right?" In the body camera videos, police told the individuals arrested they felt threatened by how the group approached them during the initial arrest of the woman and were fearful they were going to attack them. "I feared that because of the anger they were displaying, the anti-police propaganda they were yelling and the fact that six males and three females were quickly closing their distance between me and Cpl. (Terry) Rutledge, that the group was going to assault us," Patrolman Nick Santora wrote in a report. Police reports also claim there were open containers of alcohol in the vehicle. The body camera video, however, does not show alcohol containers in the vehicle. VanEerten said he's reviewing the entire incident. "It was a situation that got out of hand very quickly," he said. Dress said Chief Riddle was put on leave due to this incident and other prior incidents. She said she's consulting with the island's attorney about next steps in the village's review of what happened Saturday. Dress said she has spoken with Sandusky city commissioner Blake Harris about reaching out to the people involved in the incident and "opening up a dialogue" about the experience. VanEerten said the woman arrested initially, and two other women who were charged later will also likely have their cases dismissed. It's not clear from the video why police arrested the two women who were taken into custody later during the incident. VanEerten and Ottawa County Sheriff Steven Levorchick will provide resources to the island. Levorchick will have deputies stationed on the island this weekend to account for the sudden reduction in available officers. Put-in-Bay Police Capt. Matt Mariano will be acting chief. Consciousness Unchained Dr. Richard Koonce, former Sandusky Schools board member who is now an administrator at Sandusky High School, will host a segment of his talk program "Consciousness Unchained" on his Facebook page at 7 p.m. Thursday for a discussion about the island arrests. His guests will include witnesses to the incident and Sandusky NAACP chapter president Daryl Murphy. Register editor Matt Westerhold also will be a participant.