UPDATE | Frenchko to sue on First Amendment violation claim after Thursday arrest
[UPDATED: Friday, July 8]
Attorneys for embattled Trumbull County Commissioner Niki Frenchko said they intend to file a federal civil rights lawsuit “against those responsible” for Frenchko’s arrest and removal from a Thursday commissioners meeting.
Frenchko was escorted from the hearing room by two sheriff’s deputies after a contentious exchange on claims that an inmate was denied medical treatment at the Trumbull County jail. The commissioners clerk read aloud a letter from county Sheriff Paul Monroe demanding an apology from Frenchko for airing the complaint publicly during a June 1 commissioners meeting, instead of seeking an official inquiry.
Frenchko repeatedly refuted the letter’s claims as they were read and launched into further complaints she claims to have received about the jail, before a deputy placed her under arrest.
“What we witnessed yesterday in Warren, Ohio, was a scene out of Russia and other dictatorships where despots like Vladmir Putin and Syria’s Bashar al-Assad routinely arrest and jail their political opponents,” Betras is quoted in a Friday news release. “I never thought I would see anything like this in the United States, but there it was, live on Facebook, an elected official arrested and silenced by her political enemies for exercising her First Amendment rights. It was truly chilling.
“Whether [county commissioners] Frank Fuda, Mauro Cantalamessa, or Paul Monroe like it or not, Commissioner Frenchko was duly elected by the people of Trumbull County,” Betras continued. “When they oppress her, they are oppressing them which, in turn, undermines our democracy. The notion that she owes anyone an apology for doing her job by raising legitimate questions about conditions in the jail is ludicrous.”
Frenchko was charged with a misdemeanor count of disturbing a lawful meeting, booked into the county jail and released shortly after.
Betras also is representing Frenchko on the misdemeanor charge. Warren Municipal Court Judge Terry Ivanchak on Friday referred the case to the Ohio Supreme Court, court records show.
Betras’ firm intends to file a federal civil rights lawsuit “against those who sought to silence her,” claiming Frenchko’s right to free speech was violated.
“I believe that is exactly what took place during the meeting, and we intend to hold those responsible accountable for their actions. We can and we must send a loud and clear message that political oppression is not acceptable in the United States,” he is quoted in the release.
[EDITOR’S NOTE: Attorney David Betras is a regular contributor to Mahoning Matters.]
Read our original report below:
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Trumbull County sheriff’s deputies arrested Commissioner Niki Frenchko during a commissioners board meeting Thursday morning, accusing her of disrupting the proceeding.
Frenchko, 47, was booked into the Trumbull County jail on a misdemeanor count of disturbing a lawful meeting just before 12:30 p.m., and released about 20 minutes later on a summons to the Warren Municipal Court, jail records show.
The incident was recorded during a livestream of the meeting broadcast to Frenchko’s Facebook page.
As part of the meeting business, commissioners Clerk Paula Vivoda-Klotz read aloud a correspondence from Trumbull Sheriff Paul Monroe admonishing Frenchko for her handling of a complaint about inmate treatment at the jail.
Frenchko said she received a complaint about an inmate being denied medical treatment at the jail. According to the letter, Frenchko improperly aired the complaint on social media, and never filed a formal complaint with the sheriff’s office. A sheriff’s investigation determined the claim was unsubstantiated, the letter states.
“These attacks or complaints against me at a meeting don’t relate to county business. This is ridiculous,” Frenchko said during the livestream.
Frenchko can be heard in the video repeatedly interrupting Vivoda-Klotz’s reading of the letter, refuting its claims. At one point she turned her phone’s camera toward the clerk, who told Frenchko it made her uncomfortable.
After returning to her seat, Frenchko launched into more complaints she claimed to have received about the jail, and continued talking despite commissioners’ attempts to bring the meeting to order, the video shows.
“We’re not going to deal with this. You’re being very disruptive. You’re disrupting the meeting,” said the arresting deputy who appears behind Frenchko in the video.
Two deputies escorted Frenchko out of the room — while applause can be heard from the meeting audience — and handcuffed her in the hallway, the video appears to show. An arresting deputy who confiscated Frenchko’s phone appears to end the livestream.
“Our deputies gave her more latitude than a normal person from the public in a meeting, who should have typically removed someone from the meeting immediately for the disruptions that she caused,” Monroe told WKBN. “What she did violated the law, and she forced our deputies to take official action.”
This story was originally published July 7, 2022 at 3:23 PM.
