COLUMBUS, Ohio — Two officers with the Columbus Division of Police were fired this week for separate incidents, according to Chief Elaine Bryant.
Since the information on the firings came to light, police have released additional information and video to provide more context for the reasoning for the firings.
The two officers who were fired were Donovan Bever and Robert Spann. Bever was fired for an out-of-policy use of force while Spann is accused of having sex with a Kroger employee while he was working special duty.
Officer Donovan Bever
The Columbus Division of Police released body camera video from an incident on the city's north side that occurred earlier this year which led to the firing of Bever.
On Feb. 19, Bever and his partner were on duty and stopped two 14-year-olds for standing in the road.
The bodycam video shows Bever holding his gun and running over to his partner who was already handcuffing one of the teens on the ground. Bever is then seen getting on top of the other teen, who was already on the ground and grabs his hair, forcing his head to the ground.
Bever is seen repeatedly pushing the teen's head to the ground while attempting to put handcuffs on him. Once the teen is handcuffed, Bever rolls him onto his side and proceeds to remove items from the teen's pockets, throwing them at his face. When Bever rolls the teen over on his other side to continue searching, the teen is visibly bleeding from his mouth.
After Bever searches the teen, they stand up and Bever is seen grabbing the teen's hair and quickly walking him through a field of grass to the cruiser, passing several other officers walking past.
Once arriving at the cruiser, Bever lets go of the teen's hair and proceeds to search his pants and sweatshirt pockets again before putting him into the back of the car.
Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant says this was an inappropriate use of force and she is disappointed in Bever's behavior.
Following the incident, a use of force investigation was initiated by a sergeant who responded to the scene.
On June 10, Bever's disciplinary hearing was held before Chief Bryant and Columbus Public Safety Director Kate Pishotti where he was officially terminated.
Officer Robert Spann
Spann is accused of having consensual sex with a Kroger employee while working special duty.
Spann was working special duty at Kroger at the time of the incident involving a store employee. Surveillance cameras at the store captured the two multiple times, according to Police Chief Elaine Bryant.
Though Spann was on special duty, Bryant said he still needed to follow the policies and expected behavior of a Columbus police officer.
In a surveillance video from Kroger, Spann can be seen with a woman in several locations around the store, including in a storage room and a liquor aisle.
The incident was reported to the inspector general by management at Kroger. Those at Kroger decided that they did not prosecute this case for criminal investigation, Bryant said.
It is unknown if the officers will appeal.