CINCINNATI: Legal experts say charges rarely result from the obscure law used by private citizens to push for charges in connection with two fatal Ohio police shootings.
The law was used unsuccessfully to urge a judge to have Cleveland police arrested in the fatal shooting of 12-year-old Tamir Rice, who had a pellet gun near a recreation center.
This week, a judge found sufficient evidence to show a 911 caller who reported a man waving a gun in a Dayton-area Wal-Mart could be prosecuted for making false alarms. The man, John Crawford III, had picked up an air rifle from a shelf.
Whether the 911 caller is charged is up to a prosecutor, who’s reviewing the matter.