VANDALIA, Ohio (WDTN) — The trial for a Butler Township police officer accused of punching a woman several times in the face is set to begin Thursday morning.
The incident began when a woman returned to the Butler Township McDonald’s claiming that they had gotten her cheeseburger order wrong. The employees then called the police.
Bystander cell phone video shows a police officer punch the woman, 31-year-old Laticka Hancock, in the face three times. That officer was identified as Todd Stanley.
Police said that Hancock allegedly refused to identify herself and resisted arrest. However, in a press conference in January, the Butler Township Police Department said it is not typically standard for a police officer to punch or hit a person in the face to get them to comply with orders.
Stanley was placed on paid administrative leave while the Ohio Bureau of Investigation looked into the incident.
Stanley is set to appear in the Vandalia Municipal Court on Thursday at 9 a.m. In April, Stanley pleaded not guilty to a charge of assault, a first-degree misdemeanor. If convicted, he could face a maximum penalty of 180 days in jail.
