What happened to Columbus officer who proposed child porn charges against 11-year-old?

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COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – After a Columbus officer told investigators she thought she was being called to do a "Scared Straight approach" with a man's preteen daughter involved with an online predator, the city's inspector general has decided how to respond.

The Department of the Inspector General, which investigates complaints of misconduct and excessive use of force by the Columbus Division of Police, reported it received numerous complaints locally and nationwide regarding a viral September video on TikTok. In the video, Officer Kelsie Schneider can be heard proposing "child porn" charges against an 11-year-old girl. She then defended her statement after the father clarified someone was soliciting his daughter online and noted the victim's age.

Columbus Inspector General Jacqueline Hendricks investigated the incident and concluded allegations of improper conduct against Schneider and fellow Officer Brian Weiner were “unfounded,” and that the incident was a “misunderstanding.” She concluded that there was “no evidence of misconduct” by either officer.

The video, captured by the father's Ring camera and posted to TikTok, shows Schneider and Weiner responding to the man's home at night. While Weiner can also be seen in the video, the man exclusively interacted with Schneider.

Documents from police and the inspector general's report state the call was made at 6:54 p.m. on Sept. 14, and officers responded to the call at 12:18 a.m. on Sept. 15. A computer-aided dispatch report indicated that a dispatcher contacted the father at 7:40 p.m. and advised him of a slow response time. There was a five-hour gap from the initial call to when Schneider and Weiner arrived at the home.

The man said he initially asked for police to respond earlier in the day to talk to the child, but she had gone to bed. The father told dispatchers that his daughter had sent and received nude photos from an adult man online, but did not reiterate the situation to Schneider and Weiner when he came outside.

He said to the officers that he wanted his daughter to "realize what this was," and that there "probably isn’t much they can do about it."

“I mean, she can probably get charged with child porn,” Schneider replied.

The man then clarified that his daughter was 11 years old, to which Schneider could be heard responding, “She’s creating it, right?"

The man reiterated his daughter's age.

"It doesn’t matter. She’s still making porn," Schneider said.

“No she’s not,” the man said. “She’s being manipulated by a grown-a** adult on the internet.”

“Is she still taking pictures, though?” Schneider asked, at which point the man told the officers to have a nice evening and thanked them for responding to the home before going back inside.

Watch the body camera video in the player below.

The investigation, which was completed on Dec. 10, consisted of a review of Schneider and Weiner's body-worn cameras, Columbus Division of Police policy information and in-person interviews with the girl's father and both officers. The inspector general reports that Schneider had primary contact with the father, who had requested a female officer. Weiner reaffirmed in his interview that during the discussion, which lasted about 28 seconds, he did not have any interaction with the father.

After completing the visit to the residence, the report claims Schneider and Weiner notified the Exploited Children Unit and completed a police report regarding the potential sex crime involving an adult online preying on the man's daughter. 

Schneider stated during her interview that her understanding of the father’s request was for officers to do a “Scared Straight" tactic with his daughter. She also claimed that she did not initially know how young the girl was, and her assumption was the girl was a teenager.

During her interview, Schneider also stated that before the incident, she had never conducted a preliminary investigation into an incident where “a juvenile was reported to be a victim of online enticement for sexual activity.” She told investigators she understood why the man became upset and ended the interaction.

The report also details an interview with the father, where he stated that the officers’ approach to the situation was “to criminalize his daughter rather than protect her from the person causing harm.” He also stated his past experiences caused him to have “negative feelings” towards law enforcement, which influenced him to post the video on TikTok, as he “had enough” and felt the police didn’t care.

The report boils the incident down to a misunderstanding, where the father said he believed Schneider had full knowledge of the situation, while Schneider said she was not aware of the 11-year-old’s age before her contact with him.

The father objected to that idea within the report. He told investigators that he did not believe there was any miscommunication. He believed Schneider did not have any empathy for the situation, according to the inspector general's office.

The report concludes that Schneider was not in violation of division policies or directives and that she took “appropriate action to ensure an investigation was initiated into the matter,” leading to the allegations being deemed unfounded. The inspector general also found any allegations against Weiner to be unfounded, as the report said he did not violate any division policies and that he did not have any contact with the father.

Columbus police personnel records for Schneider and Weiner did not show any internal disciplinary action towards either officer. Schneider and Weiner remain on active duty, according to records from the Ohio Attorney General. Both have been employed with the division since July 2020.