Ross County, Ohio, prosecutor Jeffrey Marks has asked the judge to dismiss the single felony charge pending against Jadarrius Rose. They wrote him up for “failure to comply with an order or signal of a police officer.” After he did in fact comply, with allegedly justified hesitancy, Circleville Police Officer Ryan Speakman wrongly released the hound, which attacked Mr. Rose for no reason.
Prosecutor backs down
Jeffrey Marks, the criminal prosecutor for Ross County, Ohio, “is asking a judge to dismiss the felony charge against an unarmed Black semi-truck driver who was attacked by a police dog after a chase in Ohio on July 4.”
The 23-year-old was bitten by the K-9 while kneeling on the ground with his hands in the air, as he had been ordered to do.
Considering all the high profile cases involving the alleged excessive use of force against people of color, the prosecutor is convinced that securing a felony conviction on the listed charge, in light of the particular circumstances of this case, is a losing battle.
WARNING: this video shows Ohio cop Ryan Speakman disobeying orders and releasing a dog to maul Jadarrius Rose, who was unarmed and already surrendering to police.
Jadarrius was being detained for failing to stop for a vehicle inspection. Speakman apparently thought, against… pic.twitter.com/f1U0y10iml
— Spike Cohen (@RealSpikeCohen) July 25, 2023
It all started when “Rose didn’t stop for an inspector trying to pull him over for a missing mud flap.”
That, police note in their reports, set off a “lengthy vehicle pursuit that included state troopers and police officers.” After he was back on the street later, Rose told the press, “I didn’t want to die in the hands of police.” He had no idea “why he was being pulled over and was scared.”
He wasn’t about to pull over and risk finding out, “as police use of force, especially against people of color, is under scrutiny nationwide.” The prosecutor can’t deny that after Mr. Rose eventually did stop, he “exited his truck and surrendered to authorities with his hands up.”
Release the dog
Whether officer Ryan Speakman heard the instructions yelled to him by an Ohio state trooper or not, Speakman has been fired over what happened next. The trooper said “don’t release the dog with his hands in the air.”
The Circleville Police officer instantly released his hound, “which pulled Rose to the ground.” They quickly got him to the ER and patched him up before hauling him down to the Ross County Jail. According to the prosecutor, they released him from custody on July 7 while the investigation continued.
Sheepishly, Marks filed a motion with the court admitting “there is insufficient evidence” to prove a felony-level violation. Even so, he asked the judge to dismiss it “without prejudice” which means that he can file different charges if he wants.
“I just didn’t want to die.” The traumatic experience of having a dog sicced on 23-yo Jadarrius Rose will likely stay with him for the rest of his LIFE. We cannot go back to the painful time in our history when this behavior from officers was allowed without repercussions. pic.twitter.com/BaADIs9SC4
— Ben Crump (@AttorneyCrump) July 28, 2023
The prosecutor is leaning toward a misdemeanor or two. A lawyer for Mr. Rose didn’t give out any comments. No matter what happens for the suspect, the officer was fired.
“After a review of the incident,” the Circleville Police Department states, they “fired Ryan Speakman, the police officer seen on video releasing the police K-9 on Rose.” They go on to explain that the officer’s actions “did not meet the standards and expectations we hold for our police officers.” His union is fighting it.
The prosecutor is going to have a hard enough time getting the lesser charges to stick, considering the backlash of public opinion. “When the dog was biting me, I just was terrified,” Rose relates, “I thought I was going to lose my life. I was in pain. I really couldn’t see what the other officers was doing because the dog was biting me and I was just in fear of my life. And I just was screaming in pain, and I just didn’t want to die.” He’s also hoping for a nice juicy settlement.
