Woman arrested for not wearing face mask charged with shooting officers
Delaware County OH July 22 2020 A woman who resisted arrest after being told to leave a hospital for not wearing a mask is believed to be the woman who shot two SWAT officers Tuesday.
A woman who was arrested Friday after refusing to leave a Delaware County hospital because she was not wearing a mask is believed to be the person who barricaded herself inside a North Linden home after shooting two Franklin County sheriff’s deputies Tuesday morning.
Monica Greer Justice, 53, was believed to be inside the home in the 2700 block of Beulah Road. The situation started about 8 a.m. Tuesday. She was arrested about 3 p.m. after a 7-hour standoff. She was apprehended on the roof of her home, authorities said.
According to Franklin County Municipal Court records, the owner of the home on Beulah Road where Justice lived had filed paperwork for an eviction in April. A “set out” order was issued on July 1.
Deputies went to the woman’s home Tuesday morning to serve a probate warrant to take the woman for a mental health evaluation, authorities said.
The deputies, who have not been identified, were both shot in the back of the leg by the person inside the home, believed to be Justice. Both were taken to OhioHealth Riverside Methodist Hospital in stable condition.
One deputy had surgery and the other was treated at the hospital, according to Columbus Police Chief Thomas Quinlan.
Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Jim Gilbert said deputies returned fire and it was unclear if Justice was injured.
A woman who lives on Homecroft Drive just east of Beulah said she heard more than 10 shots.
“It woke me up,” said Clarisse Razafindrajery. “I thought it was fireworks.”
The woman on Beulah livestreamed from what appears to be her basement throughout the standoff. Another woman in the house came out early afternoon.
Court records from Delaware County and Westerville police show Justice was arrested Friday for criminal trespass and resisting arrest, both misdemeanors.
According to a complaint filed in Delaware County Municipal Court, Justice had been asked to leave an OhioHealth facility on Polaris Parkway on Friday because she was not wearing a mask.
The complaint said a hospital security guard had asked Justice to leave and a Westerville police officer told Justice she would be arrested if she refused to leave the hospital property.
Justice reportedly responded “arrest me” and told the officers she would resist, according to court records.
When officers attempted to arrest her, Justice reportedly placed her hands on her belt and refusing to put her arms behind her back. Officers eventually handcuffed Justice, who then went limp, refused to stand or walk and had to be carried to a wheelchair and then carried into a cruiser parked outside.
Justice posted bond on Saturday and is scheduled for a pre-trial hearing in August after entering not guilty pleas, according to court records.
Justice has a previous incident involving the assault of a law enforcement officer.
In 2014, she was convicted of assaulting a Columbus police officer as he tried to arrest her on a warrant at a hearing in Municipal Court, where she was appearing on a misdemeanor traffic offense. She and the officer fell to the ground, and the officer struck his head on a wooden bench.
Justice represented herself at the trial and was sentenced to one year in prison.
According to The Dispatch’s reporting at the time, Justice had her bond revoked in the case because she refused to cooperate with a probation interview prior to her sentencing.
Columbus police records show officers had been called to the Beulah Road home in April and again in June for what was classified as disturbances, according to records provided by the Division of Police.
dispatch.com
