Three officers with the Columbus Division of Police charged for alleged misconduct during the 2020 downtown protests have entered not guilty pleas, according to Franklin County Municipal Court records.
Charges were brought Traci Shaw, Holly Kanode and Phillip Walls in June following an investigation by retired FBI agent Rick Wozniak and special prosecutor Kathleen Garber.
Wozniak and Garber were hired by the city to investigate potential crimes by any officers during the protests last summer following the death of George Floyd in Minnesota.
According to court records, the three entered their pleas on Wednesday and requested jury trials.
Shaw was charged with three counts of Assault, three counts of Dereliction of Duty and three counts of Interfering with Civil Rights.
According to court documents, Shaw was captured on video exiting her marked cruiser near the intersection of High and Goodale streets, walking up to people on the sidewalk and pepper spraying three people.
Kanode has been charged with one count of Falsification and one count of Dereliction of Duty.
Court documents state that Kanode in the arrest of Nadia Lynch near the intersection of Broad and High streets when Kanode was heard on body camera footage saying Lynch had grabbed hold of an officer and jerked them to the ground. This information was then used in an arrest report.
Walls has been charged with two counts of Assault, two counts of Dereliction of Duty and two counts of Interfering with Civil Rights.
According to court documents, Walls was captured on his body camera pepper spraying peaceful protesters at the corner of Broad and High streets.
