Three Columbus police officers have entered not guilty pleas to allegations of misconduct in their handling of demonstrators during protests last summer following the killing of George Floyd.
Sergeant Holly Kanode and officers Traci Shaw and Phillip Walls entered their pleas Wednesday.
A special prosecutor and independent investigator announced the charges last month in an ongoing investigation into the city police department's handling of the protests.
The misdemeanor charges followed a federal judge's ruling in April that the division mishandled the protests and used force against protesters without provocation. Officers were charged with assault, dereliction of duty, falsification, and interfering with the civil rights of protestors.
The attorney representing all three says they look forward to proving their innocence.