The case of Oshae Jones, a Toledo-born Olympic boxer, has been continued yet again as defense attorneys and the city debate a resolution behind the scenes.
Neither Ms. Jones, 24, nor her attorney, Sean Walton, were present in Toledo Municipal Court on Tuesday for the pretrial hearing. Mr. Walton filed a request that morning for a 30-day continuance — the same request he made at the previous pretrial in August, which Ms. Jones attended with her bronze medal around her neck.
Mr. Walton was not immediately available for comment Tuesday morning.
Monica Sass, one of the prosecutors on Ms. Jones’ case, noted the continuance request, which Judge Michelle Wagner then granted. The next pretrial was set for 9 a.m. Nov. 2, and Ms. Jones’ bond of her own recognizance was continued.
Ms. Jones was arrested in the early morning of July 31 after Toledo police were attempting to disperse a large crowd at an unspecified location, according to court documents. She was charged with three misdemeanors — failure to disperse, resisting arrest, and obstructing official business. Ms. Jones was released from jail just six hours after her arrest.
Police said that Ms. Jones failed to obey orders to disperse and resisted arrest, and they attempted to handcuff her, but Ms. Jones and her lawyers disputed the claim, saying that she was awakened by police pounding on her door, assaulted, and handcuffed after asking an officer for a badge number.
In late August, Ms. Jones and her representation, Mr. Walton and N. John Bey, released a video message requesting dismissal of charges and a formal apology from the Toledo Police Department. Two days later, police released the body camera footage of the arrest, but the context of the footage and interactions were unclear.
After a pretrial on Aug. 30, Mr. Walton said he was pursuing a swift resolution of the case to prevent any further damage to Ms. Jones’ reputation.
Outside the courthouse Tuesday, protesters gathered once again, bearing signs in support of Ms. Jones. Ms. Jones’ mother, Demetria Blackshear, led the crowd in chants with a megaphone, repeating phrases like “Oshae Jones!” “Black lives matter!”
Ms. Jones’ brother, Washington Muhammad, stood quietly with a handful of posters to swap between. He lingered on one in particular — “Hands off Oshae.”
First Published September 27, 2022, 2:50 p.m.
