HAMILTON, Ohio — A Hamilton police officer has been placed on administrative leave after a Butler County Grand Jury indicted him on four counts of misdemeanor assault.
Our partners at the Journal-News first reported that Officer Stephen Heffernan was suspended for almost a month in 2025 after tossing a 62-year-old arrestee into the cinder block base of a booking station at the Hamilton Police Department.
Security footage from Sept. 24, 2025, showed Heffernan appear to slam the man against a cinder block wall before tossing him at the base, resulting in him being unconscious for over a minute.
In the video, the man appeared not to obey Heffernan's orders to sit down, instead approaching the booking station and confronting him. After the incident, he began bleeding from the gash on his forehead.
Police said the man was taken to the hospital, where he was treated and released. The Journal-News reported that body camera footage then showed Heffernan driving the man back to his home, shaking his hand.
Police Chief Trent Chenoweth said all charges against the man were released at his request.
While Heffernan served a 20-day suspension for violating the department's use-of-force policy, a grand jury on Friday reviewed the case and indicted him on four counts of misdemeanor assault. Because of that, Heffernan has been placed on paid administrative leave.
