OXFORD, Ohio — Oxford police are now facing two external investigations over an incident outside of Brick Street Bar in November.
Security video shows Officer Matthew Blauvelt punching 20-year-old Miami University student Devin Johnson three times as he tries to make an arrest. A use of force report states Johnson ignored verbal commands and was resisting arrest.
The video does not show what led up to the incident, but according to court documents, police say Johnson "entered Brick Street through a side access against the wishes of bar staff" and then was confronted by the bar manager.
Johnson then allegedly "refused to leave" and "assaulted bar staff."
Police Chief John A. Jones’ review of the incident on Dec. 1 shows that use of force was justified. But he told WCPO 9 on Thursday that while he reviewed body camera footage, he did not see security footage from Brick Street Bar, which was in the department’s possession.
“To address these concerns, the Oxford Division of Police has asked the Butler County’s Prosecutor’s Office to conduct an independent, external investigation into the actions of our officers,” he said in a video statement on Wednesday.
A separate investigation by an external party will focus on whether any policy violations occurred during the review.
Blauvelt has been placed on paid administrative leave.
“We encourage everyone to reserve judgment until all the facts are known,” Jones said.
Mayor Bill Snavely said he and council were interested in a “full and transparent investigative process.”
“We’re doing it in an independent investigation,” he said. “So nobody has to be worried that we’re investigating ourselves. We just want to get it right.”
The city has not yet released body camera footage of the incident, nor the security video. Brick Street Bar said their security video, which was published by someone who says they’re a relative of Johnson, was not permitted to be published. The bar voluntarily shared the video with police, a spokesperson said.
After he was arrested, Johnson was charged with assault, resisting arrest, criminal trespassing and underage possession of alcohol. His lawyer, Ryan Agee, said he denies all charges.
In a statement Thursday, Agee said “there seems to be a potential conflict of interest” in the Butler County Prosecutor's Office, where Johnson’s charges were filed. The office is also “the entity to conduct an investigation into the police department that charged him in the first place,” he said.
Prosecutor Mike Gmoser told WCPO 9 on Friday that there is not conflict of interest.
"There can't be a conflict for me to investigate any allegation of improper conduct, whether it's a police officer, a banker or a student," he said. "These are just the facts of life."
Gmoser said the investigation is being handled by the Butler County Sheriff's Office, and then he'll offer his opinion on their investigation and inform the city of Oxford.
“Regardless of the outcome of these independent investigations, the Oxford Division of Police remains committed to improving our policies and procedures moving forward,” Chief Jones said.
The mayor said he has “a lot of confidence” in the department and city staff: “They’ve been doing a great job … trying to keep everyone informed.”
