No charges for Findlay councilman

NAPOLEON — Findlay City Councilman Dan DeArment, R-4, will not be charged for striking a man's camera with a notebook during a brief encounter caught on video. The incident occurred on March 30 on the campus of Northwest State Community College in Archbold, where Tyler Schmid, 34, was filming outside a private data-center briefing. Schmid filed a police report alleging he was assaulted. There were no injuries. Stephen M. Maloney, assistant law director for the city of Napoleon, announced his decision Thursday morning. Maloney said he reviewed Schmid's video, campus surveillance footage, witness statements and the police report at the request of campus police. Maloney said that while he "obviously doesn't condone the behavior," it did not rise to the level of a criminal offense. The brief encounter happened as DeArment walked past Schmid as he entered the meeting. Schmid was holding up his phone to record when DeArment raised a notebook and struck the device. When contacted about the allegations, DeArment said he believed Schmid was there to protest and said he was filming "right up in my face." He said the incident happened quickly, and he wasn't trying to hurt anyone. Schmid said he was filming as a "citizen journalist" and was not a protester. He said he did not approach DeArment. The event was one of several private, invitation-only briefings RGP has held for government officials across northwest Ohio on data centers. RGP, a Toledo-based private economic development group, serves a 17-county region and works with JobsOhio and local governments on site searches and early-stage project development. Because it is privately led, the group often works upstream of public disclosure on large industrial and technology projects. Campus police said the Archbold session drew attention from protestors online, but only Schmid and one other person showed up outside the meeting.