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A police officer in Lorain, Ohio, outside Cleveland, was fired after being caught on dashcam video detaining his daughter’s Black boyfriend without cause, the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram is reporting.
John Kovach, Jr. was fired after an internal investigation concluded he abused his authority by conducting a traffic stop on 18-year-old Makai Coleman and his daughter Katlyn Kovach without cause, and temporarily held the young couple in the back of his patrol car, the news organization reported.
Kovach violated various sections of the police agency’s standards of conduct, policy and procedures during the April 16 incident, officials said.
Kovach was fired May 11 and Lorain County Prosecutor Dennis Will is now reviewing the case.
“These actions are not acceptable for members of our police department and we felt it warranted immediate dismissal,” Lorain Safety-Service Director Dan Given told the Chronicle-Telegram.
The local union representing the police department is appealing the decision.
On the evening of April 16, a vehicle being driven by Makai Coleman reportedly passed Kovach’s cruiser, according to the internal investigation and Kovach’s dashcam footage.
The police officer pulled the vehicle over without alerting dispatch and told Coleman to get out of the car because he’s “going to jail.”
Coleman asked why and Kovach responded, “Have a seat in my car. We’ll make (expletive deleted) up as we go,” according to the investigation.
After a dispute with the parent of two other passengers in the car, Kovach noticed his daughter in the vehicle. He told her to get out and pushed her into the cruiser while she protested that she is 18 and cannot be arrested without cause, the Chronicle-Telegram reports.