A review of a Columbus police officer's actions when she threatened to criminally charge an 11-year-old with child porn charges concluded there was no evidence of misconduct.
The review of Officer Kelsie Schneider's actions stemmed from a viral doorbell camera video that showed Schneider and another officer in September approaching a man on his porch who said his child was being influenced by an unknown adult to send nude photos of herself. Schneider's response was to tell the father his 11-year-old child could face charges related to child porn instead of treating the child as a crime victim.
The report said the numerous complaints of misconduct that poured into Inspector General Jacqueline Hendricks' office were unfounded and a misunderstanding. The report said the officer thought the father wanted her to take the "scared straight approach" to discourage the behavior of his child.
What Schneider said elicited an angry reaction from the parent in the video, who told the officer his child was only 11 years old. According to the report, Schneider did not know the age of the child until the father told them.
Columbus Division of Police Chief Elaine Bryant, who criticized the officer's actions at the time, said officers will learn from this incident.
"I will not take one incident and just write an officer off. These are teachable moments," Bryant said.
Both officers who responded that day are still on active duty with CPD.
Bryant said any time CPD deals with a situation like this and it is brought to her attention, the department makes sure it is not only addressed by leadership, but also by the command staff and filtered down through the ranks.
