HAMILTON COUNTY, Ohio — An assistant attorney for the Ohio Attorney General’s Office was attacked near a courthouse in southwestern Ohio on Wednesday.
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The incident happened near the Hamilton County courthouse, according to our media partner WCPO-9 TV.
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Jermaine Johnson, 50, was arrested and charged with one count each of assault and illegal use or possession of drug paraphernalia.
Johnson was scheduled to appear in court on Thursday, but was only represented by an attorney.
The assistant attorney was at the courthouse for work, prosecutors said in court.
When she left, Johnson allegedly approached her and asked for money. However, she kept walking, and Johnson reportedly punched her in the face.
“Given that this is a seemingly random victim to Mr. Johnson, it’s clearly a threat to the public and that causes great concern for the city’s prosecutor’s office,” the prosecutor said in court.
Judge Jackie Ginocchio said Johnson has a history of convictions and has served time in prison for different crimes.
She noted that he also failed to appear in court seven separate times.
Ginocchio also said Johnson has, in the past, been convicted of four felonies and five violent felonies, including two aggravated robbery convictions in 2007 and 2003.
Johnson has been convicted of nine felonies, including two aggravated robbery convictions in 2003 and 2007.
The judge ordered that Johnson be held in the Hamilton County Justice Center on a $50,000 bond for the assault charge and a $1,000 bond for the paraphernalia charge, WCPO-9 reported.
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