Ohio deputy asks to move Casey Goodson case to federal court

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio sheriff’s lawman who changeable Casey Goodson Jr. successful the backmost 5 times pleaded not blameworthy Friday to charges of execution and reckless homicide and asked that the lawsuit beryllium moved into national tribunal astir 1 twelvemonth aft the sidesplitting of Goodson connected Dec. 4, 2020.

Attorneys for suspect Jason Meade reason that, arsenic a subordinate of a U.S. Marshals Service fugitive task force, Meade was acting arsenic a national cause astatine the clip of the shooting.

“Meade’s superior responsibilities were to assistance different squad members successful arresting convulsive fugitives and different felons,” Steve Nolder, an lawyer representing Meade, said successful a national tribunal filing Friday. “As such, connected December 4, 2020, Deputy Meade was acting arsenic a national serviceman erstwhile helium changeable Casey Goodson, Jr.”

Though Meade's regular duty was connected the Franklin County Sheriff's Office SWAT team, helium was assigned to the Marshals' fugitive task unit Monday done Friday with regular 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. hours, the filing said.

Ad

The filing by Meade's attorneys runs antagonistic to what U.S. Marshal Pete Tobin said a week aft the shooting.

Meade “was acting connected his ain and successful his autarkic authorization arsenic a Franklin County Sheriff’s Deputy wrong his location jurisdiction erstwhile helium encountered Mr. Goodson, and passim the consequent incidental starring to Mr. Goodson’s death,” Tobin said successful a Dec. 11, 2020 statement

A connection seeking remark was near with the Franklin County peculiar prosecutors trying the lawsuit successful authorities court.

At Friday's tribunal hearing, a magistrate acceptable enslaved for Meade astatine $250,000, which different Meade lawyer said helium expected Meade to station Friday. The enslaved angered a lawyer representing Goodson's family, who noted a emblematic enslaved for a execution complaint is $1 million.

“What is simply a Black beingness worthy successful this justness strategy successful America?” said lawyer Sean Walton, who added: “We saw and heard the prosecutors successful the country contiguous accidental that there's thing that Casey did whatsoever that led to his death.”

Ad

The shooting of the 23-year-old Goodson, who was Black, by Meade, a longtime lawman — present retired — who is white, led to protests successful Columbus and galore lingering questions, successful portion due to the fact that the sidesplitting was not recorded connected assemblage oregon dash camera footage.

Meade’s lawyer, Mark Collins, says the lawman fired erstwhile Goodson pointed a weapon astatine him. Goodson’s household has ne'er denied that Goodson mightiness person been carrying a gun, but has noted helium besides had a licence to transportation a firearm.

Prosecutors accidental a weapon was recovered successful the room aft the shooting. Collins said Friday the weapon was nether Goodson's body, and Meade moved it arsenic helium tried to revive Goodson.

Collins had argued for a tenable bond, saying Meade has beardown ties to the assemblage with nary motive for leaving town, has been cooperative implicit the past year, is simply a religion minister, does not ain a passport, and has nary weapons astatine location aft they were removed pursuing his indictment.

Ad

“This is not a whodunnit,” Collins said. “This is whether oregon not our lawsuit utilized tenable unit based connected the totality of the situation, the circumstances surrounding it, his grooming successful the protocols, and whether oregon not helium subjectively believed his beingness was successful danger.”

Prosecutors laid retired a script successful which Goodson, returning from a dental assignment with a container of sandwiches for household members, was changeable arsenic helium entered his grandmother's location with his keys already successful the door. He was changeable 5 times successful the backmost and erstwhile successful the buttocks, said Franklin County peculiar authoritative Tim Merkle.

“Investigators recovered nary grounds different than Mr. Meade’s self-serving, uncorroborated connection to amusement that Casey presented a menace to Mr. Meade,” Merkle said Friday. “Rather, the grounds collected revealed that Casey was doing thing different than entering his residence erstwhile Mr. Meade changeable him six times.”

Ad

The shooting happened arsenic Meade, a 17-year subordinate of the sheriff's office, was finishing an unsuccessful hunt for a fugitive arsenic portion of his enactment for the U.S. Marshals Service task force.

Meade followed Goodson archetypal successful his car and past connected ft aft seeing Goodson successful his car constituent a weapon astatine different operator and past astatine Meade, and aboriginal “waving the firearm erratically,” according to an relationship provided by Collins.

Goodson's household has besides filed a national wrongful-death suit against Meade and the sheriff's office. The ailment claims Meade received hundreds of hours of firearms and SWAT grooming but small connected unit deescalation techniques. That is contempt subpar performances arsenic a deputy, including being placed connected “no inmate interaction status” for astir 4 years. The suit did not supply details of the reasons for that placement. A Franklin County spokesperson has declined comment.

Although the shooting did not impact Columbus police, it came astatine a clip of heightened hostility implicit erstwhile shootings of Black people by officers successful Ohio’s capital. Then, little than 3 weeks later, a achromatic Columbus constabulary serviceman changeable and killed 47-year-old Andre Hill arsenic helium emerged from a store holding a cellphone.

Ad

Meade, who had been connected administrative permission since the shooting, retired July 2 connected disability.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This worldly whitethorn not beryllium published, broadcast, rewritten oregon redistributed without permission.