CINCINNATI — The CEO of a Cincinnati-area nonprofit, who weeks ago announced a congressional run against Greg Landsman, was arrested on an aggravated menacing charge.
According to court documents, Rosemary Oglesby-Henry allegedly pointed a gun at a man on Sunday.
Court documents say Kevin Farmer, the alleged victim, told police that following an argument, Oglesby-Henry "pointed a firearm in the bedroom at the victim, to which (he) said 'shoot me.'" While WCPO does not usually name victims, Farmer did speak to us about the charge and is a public figure running for Cincinnati City Council.
On Monday afternoon, Oglesby-Henry appeared in municipal court, alongside her attorney, John O'Shea, where she pleaded not guilty.
"She is denying these allegations," O'Shea said. "My understanding is no firearms have been recovered. I understand the fact that she allowed police to search her entire house, there was no firearm recovered because there was no firearm there when it happened."
WATCH: What we learned in court Monday afternoon
O'Shea stated in court that Farmer made up the story and said there was a history of domestic violence.
"The facts when they come out are going to confirm that this guy has been victimizing her for a long time," O'Shea said.
"Because she didn't want to see another Black man locked up, she decided to drop the charges, figuring she could continue to help Kevin," said Demetrius Hill, Oglesby-Henry's friend and political consultant.
Hill said it started after Farmer allegedly took Oglesby-Henry's truck without her permission and then refused to leave her place.
"So Saturday she calls about the keys and he takes the truck again," Hill said.
"He latched onto my mother, who is a giver who is a philanthropist who sees the best in any person, and he took advantage of that. He definitely put his hands on my mother," said Jaliah Oglesby, her daughter.
We called Farmer to get his side of the story. He didn't talk about what led up to him calling the police, but said he's maintaining that Oglesby-Henry pointed a gun at him. We also asked him if he's ever put his hands on her, which he denied.
Farmer also agreed to do an on-camera interview after court on Monday, but after we called him, he didn't answer his phone. Oglesby-Henry's family and friends say Farmer is hanging out at her home and is still refusing to leave, so we knocked on the door to contact him again, but nobody answered the door.
Oglesby-Henry's daughter wants to see her mother exonerated.
"This is a hiccup that she's going to get over," Oglesby said.
Oglesby-Henry announced her run for Ohio's 1st Congressional District earlier this month; she is running as a Republican.
"I've lived the American Dream from the ground up, overcoming the challenges of being a teen mom while working to uplift my city and state," said Oglesby-Henry in her campaign announcement. "For more than a decade, I have taught families that while choices have consequences, they should never strip away your God-given right to pursue and shape your own American Dream."
She said she was inspired to run as the first Black Republican for Ohio's 1st district because of "key aspects of the One Big Beautiful Bill," which she said reflects the conservative principles she backs.
Oglesby-Henry has never run for any public office prior to announcing her candidacy for Congress.
When she announced the campaign, the nonprofit for which Oglesby-Henry serves as CEO said Rosemary's Babies remains a nonpartisan nonprofit organization without any affiliation with a political party or candidate.
Russ Mock, chair of the Hamilton County GOP, declined to provide a statement about Oglesby-Henry's arrest, but he told us she has not been endorsed by the Hamilton County GOP.
On October 2, Oglesby-Henry released a statement, saying she denies the allegations against her and said she is continuing to run for Congress.
"I categorically deny this false allegation," reads the statement. "I have cooperated fully with law enforcement, including consenting to a search of my home. No firearm was recovered. We will address the facts in court where they belong ... I will not be silenced. I will not be defined by a false allegation. I will continue to run, to serve and to fight for the people of Ohio's First District."
