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Columbus police officer not guilty of falsification, dereliction of duty in connection to 2020 protests

A Franklin County Municipal Court judge found Sergeant Holly Kanode not guilty on misdemeanor charges of falsification and dereliction of duty.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — A Columbus Division of Police officer accused of making false claims to help make an arrest during the downtown protests in 2020 has been found not guilty.

According to court documents, a Franklin County Municipal Court judge found Sergeant Holly Kanode not guilty on misdemeanor charges of falsification and dereliction of duty for the incident that occurred on May 30, 2020.

Court documents stated that Kanode was heard on body camera footage saying a protester grabbed hold of an officer and jerked them to the ground. This information was then used in an arrest report.

According to investigators, a review of Kanode’s camera and another video submitted to the city did not show Lynch grabbing or throwing any officer to the ground.

Kanode was one of three officers with Columbus police that were charged for alleged misconduct during the protests following the death of George Floyd.

The misdemeanor charges came from 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.

Officers Traci Shaw and Phillip Walls were also charged in connection to the protests. Both have been charged with assault, dereliction of duty and 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.

Walls was captured on his body camera pepper-spraying peaceful protesters at the corner of Broad and High streets, according to court records.

Shaw and Walls both have pleaded not guilty. The trial for Shaw is set to begin next week and Walls' is scheduled for August.

   

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