UPDATE: Charges pending for man accused of kneeling on child’s neck in social media photo

CLARK COUNTY, Ohio — UPDATE @ 3:15 p.m. (July 22):

Charges are pending review by the Clark County Prosecutor’s Office against a man accused of kneeling on the neck of a 2-year-old child in a photo shared on social media, according to the Clark County Sheriff’s Office.

The man, who deputies identified as Isaiah Jackson, 20, has been booked in the Clark County Jail on a probation violation and remains in the jail Wednesday afternoon, according to online jail records.

The sheriff’s office said a case against Jackson has been presented to the prosecutor’s office who will “provide a determination on the scope and breadth of the felony charges” that Jackson will face in the alleged incident, Clark County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Kristopher Shultz said in a media release. Investigators did not detail the charges Jackson might be charged with.

Deputies said an investigation was launched Tuesday after they were made aware of the photo, which shows a man with his knee on the back of a child’s neck. The child appears to be crying in the photo while a second person holds the child’s hands behind their back. The photo’s caption read “Blm now.”

Investigators made contact with the child, their mother, and Jackson. The child was transported to an area hospital for examination, however they did not suffer any injuries from the incident deputies said.

“Subsequent interview with the mother revealed that she was unaware of the photo having been taken, or its contents, until she had been informed by other parties,” Shultz said.

FIRST REPORT (July 21):

A social media photo of a man kneeling on the back of the neck of a child is currently under investigation by the Clark County Sheriff’s Office.

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A picture of the post was sent into News Center 7 Tuesday, showing the man with his knee on the back of a child’s neck, who appears to be crying. A second person in the photo is holding the child’s hands behind their back. The caption of the photo reads “Blm now.”

A version of the the photo, which some might find disturbing, is available at the bottom of this news story, with the faces of the child and man blurred out.

The photo resembles the action taken by Minneapolis police officers during the arrest of George Floyd May 25 that resulted in his death.

Investigators in Clark County said they are investigating the post, however no arrests have been made and charges have not been filed.

“We are looking into this case, however it is still an active investigation. At this point we are actively looking into it and we are VERY early on into this investigation,” Maj. Chris Clark said in an emailed statement.

According to emergency scanner traffic, deputies, police, and medics were called to two different addresses Tuesday morning in Clark County as a part of the investigation.

We’ll continue to update this story with new details as they become available.

Cox Media Group