A female store attendant on Chatterton Road in Truro Township was shoved to the floor and punched in the face early yesterday morning after she told an unknown man to leave the business and refused to go — the confrontation escalating until he knocked her cell phone away mid-call to 911. The man then fled on foot, and investigators are now asking the public to help identify him.
According to an official release from the Franklin County Sheriff's Office, the incident happened around 7 a.m. yesterday at a business on Chatterton Road. The man had entered the store and refused to leave when the attendant told him to go, and deputies say he became aggressive toward her and continued disruptive behavior, knocking items off the counter before the confrontation turned physical. Investigators say the attendant was calling 911 when the man struck the phone from her hand, then pushed her to the floor and punched her in the face before walking away from the business.
The sheriff's office is asking anyone who recognizes the man from released video to contact its communications center at (614) 525-3333, and it is encouraging the public to share the post to help identify him. Tips can also be submitted anonymously, and people with information are being urged to come forward.
A Possible Felony Turn in the Case
While shoving and punching the attendant could be prosecuted as simple assault — a first-degree misdemeanor under Ohio law carrying up to 180 days in jail and a $1,000 fine, according to Gounaris Abboud, LPA — the act of knocking the phone away during an active 911 call carries far steeper exposure. Ohio Revised Code Section 2909.04 allows prosecutors to charge interference with an emergency call as disrupting public services, a fourth-degree felony that can bring up to 18 months in prison, as detailed by FindLaw.
Refusing to leave the business after being told to go could also amount to criminal trespass, a fourth-degree misdemeanor punishable by up to 30 days in jail and a $250 fine under state law, per Jay Perez Law. Knocking items off the counter could separately support a criminal mischief charge, a third-degree misdemeanor carrying up to 60 days in jail and a $500 fine under Ohio Revised Code Section 2909.07. No suspect has been named or arrested, and it remains unclear whether prosecutors will pursue the felony enhancement once the man is identified.
Why Chatterton Road Is Under Extra Scrutiny
Truro Township has no municipal police department of its own, the unincorporated community relies on the Franklin County Sheriff's Office for patrols and emergency response, according to RadioReference. That dependence has put Chatterton Road under repeated law enforcement attention. In November 2024, the sheriff's office ran a 12-hour targeted enforcement sweep dubbed Operation Unity along Chatterton Road and Noe Bixby Road that produced 15 felony and 11 misdemeanor arrests, as reported by 10TV WBNS.
The corridor's history includes darker chapters as well. In April 2021, a 28-year-old mother of three was fatally struck by a stray bullet while driving past a Truro Township shopping plaza on Chatterton Road, a case that remains unsolved five years later. Yesterday's assault adds to a string of recent incidents that have kept the stretch on investigators' radar, including a July rollover crash at a nearby intersection and a physical attack on a shopper inside a Galloway Kroger store that led to charges against two teenagers.
County-Wide Push on Business Crime
The attack also lands amid a broader county effort to crack down on crime targeting retailers. Earlier this month, Franklin County Sheriff Dallas Baldwin launched F.O.R.C.E., a specialized task force built to address retail theft and commercial business crime across the county. Yesterday's assault on a store employee underscores the kind of violence the initiative is meant to confront, even though this case centers on a physical attack rather than theft.
Anyone with information can also route tips through Central Ohio Crime Stoppers, which offers an anonymous tip line and accepts submissions through its P3 Tips mobile app, with cash rewards available for information leading to an arrest or felony indictment in Franklin County. As of today, the man seen in the released footage had not been publicly identified, and deputies say the investigation remains open.
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