COLUMBUS, Ohio — The case against the third and final Columbus Division of Police officer accused of misconduct during the summer 2020 protests will be dismissed.
Prosecutor Brad Nicodemus confirmed to 10TV he will be dismissing the charges against officer Phillip Walls next week. He declined to comment on the reason while the case is still pending.
Walls was facing multiple charges including assault, dereliction of duty and interfering with civil rights related to an event that on May 29, 2020.
According to court documents, Walls was captured on his body camera pepper spraying peaceful protesters at the corner of Broad and High streets.
His trial was scheduled to start next week on Aug. 16.
Walls was the last officer facing charges in connection to the protests following George Floyd’s death in Minnesota.
Charges were also brought against Sergeant Holly Kanode and officer Traci Shaw for other incidents related to protest response.
On July 14, a judge found Kanode not guilty on charges of falsification and dereliction of duty. Shaw - who was charged with interfering with civil rights, assault and dereliction of duty – had her charges dismissed on July 20.
The misdemeanor charges against all three officers were the result of 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.