Teen gets probation for scuffle with police

Trevor Casey, 15, entered a plea to several misdemeanor charges yesterday in Lucas County Juvenile Court.

The Blade/Amy E. Voigt
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Trevor Casey, 15, entered a plea to several misdemeanor charges yesterday in Lucas County Juvenile Court.

A teenager whose arrest by Toledo police was captured on video and posted online entered a plea to several misdemeanor charges Thursday in Lucas County Juvenile Court.

Trevor Casey, 15, pleaded no contest to misdemeanor counts of assault, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct, and obstructing official business. Initially charged with felony assault on a police officer, the charge was reduced per the negotiated plea.

Magistrate Laura Restivo found him guilty and ordered him to serve probation.

The teenager's May 15 arrest by two police officers led to national media attention when it was captured on video and circulated on YouTube. The video showed the youth with a split lip and a swollen face.

The teenager's mother subsequently filed a complaint of excessive force with the police department. In September, the department released its findings, calling the allegations "nonsustained."

The department further stated that it was unable to "prove or disprove the allegations" and that a thorough investigation was conducted but that it was hampered because investigators were not allowed to interview the Casey youth.

According to Assistant County Prosecutor Jeremy Carnes, the Casey youth was 14 at the time he was ordered in May to leave the porch of a home in the Brand Whitlock development.

Trevor Casey is shown in a headlock by a Toledo police officer in this frame grab from a video posted May 18 on YouTube.

Mr. Carnes said yesterday that the charges filed against the teen resulted from his fighting with officers at the time of his arrest. He caused "physical harm" to one of the officers "by striking him in the chest area," Mr. Carnes added.

Attorney Ronnie Wingate disagreed that there was enough evidence to find the teenager guilty of all the misdemeanor charges and objected to the court's findings. He said the Casey youth was not "unscathed" by his interaction with police and agreed that he needs help "to change his attitude and behavior."

"I still believe that this is a young man [who] is salvageable," Mr. Wingate said. "He recognizes that he has changes he has to make within himself."

The teenager, who had been on probation prior to yesterday's plea, still faces unrelated misdemeanor charges in Juvenile Court.

Contact Erica Blake at:

blake@theblade.com

or 419-213-2134.