BATAVIA, Ohio -- A Cincinnati police sergeant was sentenced Monday to five days in jail for inducing panic and using weapons while intoxicated at a movie theater earlier this year.
Shauna Lambert, 50, was arrested in January after she prompted an evacuation of the Rave Motion Pictures cinema in Milford. Police say she dropped a gun inside a theater and admitted to drinking "a lot" while off-duty.
Lambert's booking photo
Both counts were first-degree misdemeanors. No one was injured, and no shots were fired. Lambert pleaded no contest March 29 and said Monday she takes full responsibility.
"I am very sorry for this whole incident," she told the court. "I never meant to cause anybody any grief or harm."
Judge Jason Nagel also put Lambert on probation. If she violates the terms of her probation, she could be ordered to jail for six months. Deputies led her away after Monday's sentencing hearing.
Lambert is a 23-year veteran of CPD and was assigned to District Four at the time of her arrest. Her status with CPD was on hold as the criminal case worked its way through the court. A statement from the department Monday said she would now face a disciplinary hearing. She has been on administrative assignment.
Lambert's police powers have been suspended since the incident.
The Milford Police Department initially responded to reports of a person with a gun at the movie theater Jan. 6, according to a news release. In a 911 call, a Rave employee urged officers to respond “right away.”
Police arrived quickly and arrested Lambert inside one of the theaters. In the video below, a police officer asks Lambert how much she had to drink.
"I ... had a lot," Lambert said.
"Yeah, I can smell it," the officer responded.
She was ordered to stay off the cinema's property.
The incident wasn’t Lambert’s only run-in with the law; her license was seized in April 2016 after she was pulled over in Blue Ash and "smelled like alcohol," according to a police report. Lambert refused all blood-alcohol content tests, according to court records.
Blue Ash police charged her with operating a vehicle under the influence, Sgt. Allison Schlie said, but records show Municipal Court Judge Josh Berkowitz amended it to a count of reckless operation in response to a motion from Lambert's attorney.
