PUT-IN-BAY, Ohio — A police lieutenant who resigned following alleged misconduct with a group of African-American men and women earlier this month is also under investigation for allegedly body-slamming a black woman in a separate incident over Memorial Day weekend.
Put-in-Bay Lt. Michael Russo, 31, verbally resigned from his position last week after village and county officials learned of his conduct during a June 6 traffic stop that led to multiple taser deployments and the arrest of at least six African-American men. Sgt. Melissa Wilde also submitted her resignation and Chief Steve Riddle has been placed on administrative leave.
WARNING: Strong language
Officials are also investigating an incident from Memorial Day weekend involving Lieutenant Russo, who is accused of throwing a petite woman to the ground. Village and county officials learned of the incident late last week.
Put-in-Bay Mayor Jessica Dress said both instances are “terribly disappointing.”
“Given the tension across the country, I would think it would have been a reason for an officer to serve even more diligently than they’re already expected to, even more carefully,” she said.
On Monday, The Blade obtained police reports and additional body camera footage from Lieutenant Russo and other officers involved in the Memorial Day weekend incident. Officers responded at 10:30 p.m. May 24 to Adventure Bay, 380 Main St., for a report of an overturned golf cart which left two children injured.
As officers tried to determine who was driving, a verbal dispute broke out with a group of between 10 to 15 people.
During the incident, Monica Gulledge, 37, of Ypsilanti, who said she weighs 90 pounds, was thrown to the ground by Lieutenant Russo, records show.
“You basically manhandled me. You didn’t have to do that to me,” Ms. Gulledge told the lieutenant.
While she denied medical treatment, she later reported being treated for a neck injury and concussion and she wished to file a complaint against the officer, according to the police report.
The officer claimed Ms. Gulledge elbowed him in the face and struck another officer, according to his police report. While the lighting from the incident is poor, footage from Lieutenant Russo’s body camera shows some sort of struggle with the woman as she yells for him to get off of her.
“Some of the male members had balled fist and I feared that they were going to attack myself and the other officers. I drew my service pistol and again gave a loud verbal command for the group to stay back. It was at that time that they stopped approaching Officer Webb and me,” Lieutenant Russo wrote in his report.
After she was detained, friends and family members asked how long Ms. Gulledge would be gone.
“Until I let her go, how about that? Until your attitude changes, she’s sitting in my jail,” Lieutenant Russo responded.
Once the lieutenant talked with Ms. Gulledge about the incident, he spoke about “letting her off” with a disorderly conduct citation instead of a felony charge of assaulting an officer.
“I’m sorry for throwing you down. I apologize and you shouldn’t have been treated that way. Things got out of hand and I apologize for that, OK?” Lieutenant Russo said to her.
Ms. Dress said village council met Monday in executive session to discuss personnel matters. Council also voted to give the mayor permission to hire an outside investigator for an analysis of the June 6 incident.
The mayor said she has full confidence in the department’s acting chief, Capt. Matt Marino, as well as the rest of the officers on the department.
Lieutenant Russo’s conduct from both the Memorial Day weekend and the June 6 is being reviewed, both internally by the village and criminally by the county prosecutor’s office, which has turned over evidence to the FBI, Ottawa County Prosecutor James VanEerten said.
According to his personnel record, Lieutenant Russo has been employed by the village since January, 2019. He previously served in the Ohio Army National Guard and was deployed in Afghanistan from 2011 to 2012 before he served as a police officer in Maple Heights, Ohio for five years. He resigned from that position after he was placed on administrative leave for taking a personal call while driving his cruiser.
He has also been investigated for excessive force at least twice while in Maple Heights. A handcuff suspect “shoulder checked” Lieutenant Russo so the officer knocked him to the ground. The administration dropped the excessive use charge and instead reprimanded him for swearing at the suspect.
He was also investigated by the FBI after he struck a suspect who was trying to attack a family member. Lieutenant Russo broke the suspect’s hand from baton strikes, but an investigation determined justified force was used.
First Published June 16, 2020, 2:28 p.m.
