CINCINNATI — An assistant attorney for the Ohio Attorney General's Office was physically assaulted by a man near the Hamilton County courthouse on Wednesday, according to court officials and documents filed in the case.
Cincinnati police arrested 50-year-old Jermaine Johnson and charged him with one count of assault and one count of illegal use or possession of drug paraphernalia, according to court records.
Johnson was arraigned in court Thursday afternoon; he did not appear in court, but was represented by an attorney.
In court, prosecutors said the assistant attorney was at the courthouse for work Thursday; when she left, Johnson approached her and asked her for money. When she instead continued walking, prosecutors said Johnson 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," said the prosecutor in court.
Judge Jackie Ginocchio also noted that Johnson has a history of convictions and prison time served for different crimes. Ginocchio said he noted that Johnson 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.
Ginocchio ordered 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, of which he must pay 10%.
