An Akron man who punched a police officer in the face, tried to grab his weapon, and swung a knife at him during two separate run-ins with law enforcement has been sentenced to 14 to 19.5 years in prison. Jermaine Turner, 38, was held at the Summit County Jail on a $100,000 bond with 10% allowed before his sentencing in Summit County Common Pleas Court, where he was convicted on four counts stemming from incidents in November 2025 and January 2026.
According to WKYC, the case began in November 2025 when Turner stole an employee's phone while it was charging at a Hudson Drive Walmart, then fled on foot from an officer on a nearby street and dumped the phone in a trash can during the chase, per the prosecutor's office. Turner was found guilty of tampering with evidence, a third-degree felony, along with misdemeanor theft and obstructing official business.
The more violent incident came two months later. In January 2026, a woman told an officer at the Metro Transit Center on South Broadway Street that Turner had threatened her with a knife while they waited for a bus. When officers moved to arrest him, Turner punched the arresting officer multiple times in the face, attempted to take the officer's weapon, and swung his knife at him. He was ultimately found guilty of felonious assault, a first-degree felony, for that attack. Summit County Prosecutor Elliot Kolkovich thanked the Akron police officers who responded to the calls, and the station notes an officer was injured during the incident.
Why the Sentence Fell in That Range
Turner's 14-to-19.5-year term reflects Ohio's Reagan Tokes Law, which mandates indefinite prison terms for qualifying first- and second-degree felonies by setting a mandatory minimum alongside a maximum that can run up to 50% longer, according to Justia Law. Under Ohio Revised Code 2903.11, felonious assault is elevated to a first-degree felony when the victim is a peace officer, carrying a potential sentence of 11 to 16.5 years on that charge alone, Hoodline has previously reported.
Kolkovich took office in February 2024 after more than 13 years as a local prosecutor in Summit County and as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, according to the Summit County Prosecutor's Office. Turner's case is not the only recent example of his office pursuing lengthy prison terms for attacks on officers. In August, Kolkovich announced a sentence of 20 to 25.5 years for 29-year-old Rodney Andrus Jr., who opened fire on an Akron officer during a 2023 incident tied to multiple felony convictions and a drug trafficking operation.
A City Grappling With a Spike in Attacks on Officers
Turner's sentencing lands amid a sharp rise in violence against Akron police. Public Safety Chief Craig Morgan told the Akron City Council public safety committee in late September that assaults on officers jumped 76% in 2026, climbing to 30 incidents compared with 17 over the same period in 2025, as reported by WKYC. The Akron City Council responded with a joint statement condemning violence against officers as unacceptable while calling for universal community accountability rather than an us-versus-them mindset.
Mayor Shammas Malik, who took office in 2024 and has made public safety a central focus of his administration, issued his own statement following Turner's sentencing, saying that while public safety officers accept inherent job risks, violence against officers who take an oath to protect residents remains unacceptable. The concern is not abstract: days before Turner's sentencing, an Akron officer was punched, bitten, and nearly disarmed on September 28 during a burglary response on Copley Road, leading to felonious assault and robbery charges against 56-year-old Leotis Daggett. That officer was treated at Cleveland Clinic Akron General Hospital and released, Hoodline previously reported on the Copley Road attack.
A Split Picture on Violent Crime
Despite the surge in assaults targeting officers, Akron police have reported that overall citywide violent crime has generally trended downward, with adult shooting victims dropping 50% in mid-2025 compared with the same period in 2024, Hoodline previously reported. City officials have attributed that broader decline to expanded community violence intervention programs, even as the attacks on officers themselves continue to climb.
