Stanley’s attorney William Stewart Mathews II declined to comment, saying he preferred “to try his cases in the courtroom.”
A special prosecutor has been appointed to the case, and Mathews said Judge Cynthia Heck has recused herself and requested a visiting judge be appointed by the Ohio Supreme Court.
Butler Twp. police were called Jan. 16 to a report of a disorderly customer at McDonald’s at 3411 York Commons Blvd.
Stanley and officer Tim Zellers approached Laticka Hancock, who said there had been an argument between her and the employees over a charge for extra cheese on a Big Mac, which eventually led to police being called.
In police body camera footage, the officers said they were requested to trespass Hancock from the restaurant and asked for her identification, but she refused to provide it.
The exchange grew more heated until Zellers decided to place Hancock under arrest.
According to officers, Hancock resisted arrest, leading to Zellers threatening to use a Taser on her, and then camera footage showed Stanley hitting her on the right side of the face. In the arrest report, Stanley described this as an “open palm strike.”
She was then put in handcuffs and put into the back of a cruiser.
The arrest was captured on video by a bystander who began filming as police began trying to arrest Hancock.
The report said that Hancock was bleeding from her mouth, and a medic who cleaned the wound said that it was superficial.
After getting her identification, police said they found Hancock didn’t have a valid driver’s license, and reported they found an open alcohol container in the front seat of the vehicle Hancock was driving.
Hancock was charged with resisting arrest, failure to disclose personal information, driving under suspension and open container of alcohol in a vehicle.
The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation investigated the use of force, and Stanley is on administrative leave. Butler Twp. police said they also are conducting an internal investigation.
We have reached out to Butler Twp. police for comment and will update this story.
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