An ex-Franklin County bailiff who was caught on video assaulting a woman at the courthouse is now facing charges in the incident.
Kelli Johnson, 60, of Columbus’ Southeast Side, a former bailiff for Franklin County Juvenile and Domestic Relations Judge Monica Hawkins, has been charged with criminal mischief and disorderly conduct in the incident, court records show. Hallway security footage from around 3:30 p.m. March 24 showed Johnson pushing a woman and smacking a phone out of her hands.
The charges against Johnson were filed April 17. Johnson’s arraignment is scheduled for May 12, according to court records.
The victim in the case, a 49-year-old woman, spoke with The Dispatch and said she had gone to juvenile court to file a complaint about a court-appointed guardian ad litem in her ongoing case and was directed to Hawkins’ courtroom. When she got to the courtroom, she met Johnson, whom she said did not seem interested in taking her complaint.
The woman said Johnson rolled her eyes, which the woman took as a sign of having an attitude. She said she and Johnson exchanged words, during which she called Johnson incompetent. She said she then went to leave the courtroom.
Johnson followed her out of the courtroom, the other woman said, and pushed her. The woman told Johnson she would report her and Johnson pushed her again, the woman said.
The hallway video supports the woman’s account of being pushed twice.
The woman said she got her cell phone out to try and record Johnson, at which point Johnson smacked the phone out of her hand, which is also shown on the video.
“I was yelling for the police and I did tell [Johnson] that I was going to file charges,” the woman said. “I’m allowed to say that.”
The woman said − and the county Sheriff’s Office report confirms − that another person witnessed the encounter in the hallway and corroborates the woman’s version of events. When Johnson was interviewed by a Franklin County deputy about the incident, she said she “did not recall” parts of the incident.
Johnson resigned on March 30 from her role as Hawkins’ bailiff, which she had held since Hawkins became a Franklin County Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court judge in 2018.
Dispatch reporter Bethany Bruner contributed to this report.
Reporter Shahid Meighan can be reached at smeighan@dispatch.com, at ShahidMeighan on X, and at shahidthereporter.dispatch.com on Bluesky.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Former Franklin County bailiff charged in court assault caught on video
Reporting by Shahid Meighan, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
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